Monday Mumbles

1. Instead of fighting Owen's destructive behavior (every toy must crash into everything in sight before dying a horribly loud, crushing death), I chose to allow it. But only if he goes to his room, shuts the door, and doesn't holler and scream.

2. Turner is just like me. It's scary. From his need to explain and correct to his need to keep things balanced (i.e. his quantity of dollars in Monopoly. He'd rather be owed some ones in the future as change, than to give away his remaining few he has and pay exact rent due), it's downright eerie.

3. Whenever Hubs tells the story of his knee surgery in 2009 (we were playing kickball with the kids), he always describes "HOW" he did it as "I made a football move and...". Seriously? A football move....in kickball? He needs to let this die.

4. My grandmother (and a couple of other family members) purchased a Kansas football tailgate package at a charity auction, and the event was this past weekend. Hubs took Owen, Turner and Turner's friend. Sis and I just tailgated and then headed to a house to watch from the comforts of a couch.

5. KU WON THE GAME.

6. Oh, and last Tuesday? KU basketball beat Duke. Hell yeah. Early season victories like this are sweet. Very, very sweet.

7. I almost bought myself a black Bah Humbug 'santa' hat today. Almost.

8. On a happier note, I have already started a list of fun things I might want to get the children. Things they've mentioned in passing, that I know they definitely want. That makes me feel good. Progress.

9. Hubs watched a movie on TV and wanted me to watch it as well, thinking I'd like it since it's a chick flick and all. He was right. Something Borrowed. But it also put me onto a fine fellow, Colin Egglesfield. Yum.

10. But alas, my only other marriage is to work. In case you wondered, I'm still lovin' it.

Monday Mumbles 27

1. I really cannot believe a week went by already. It felt like just yesterday when I wrote you those three, heartfelt mumbles.

2. Although I love Owen's curls, I'm happy he likes having his hair cut low. We have to keep it low so it's better he likes it. You ask WHY we have to keep it low? Because he's created a habit for himself where he twirls his curls around a finger, and he does this most all the time. When he eats, watches TV, stands, sits, gets sleepy. Just picture a boy on some high school sports "stage", twirling his hair before catching some ball. Yeesh.

3. Did I mention I have the day off? Whispering that to Evelyn last night was my only way to escape the house and get to Costco alone. When she heard I was going, she burst into tears knowing she couldn't go with me since she was already bathed and in pajamas. Now she's probably thinking we're going shopping today.

4. So I mentioned I was having a Patrick Swayze need going unfulfilled. Guess what was on TV Saturday night!? Yup. Dirty Dancing.

5. It made me happy to hear Turner say he liked to rake the leaves. And follow it up with how he dislikes jumping into the pile. He's just like his mama. How in the world can you bring yourself to do all that work, make such a big neat pile of leaves, and then screw it up by jumping in it?

6. We finally "saw" our first KU basketball game of the season. Hubs and I went to a bar, leaving the kids at dad's, so we were able to watch but had a lot of distractions with Hubs' group of playmates. I paid semi-attention while the chicks talked too much and I was also working on a client issue during more than half of the game.

7. The chicks were cool, though. Fun and relaxing even if they were a decade younger than me.

8. I really cannot stand watching the Chiefs win. They didn't even play this weekend (bye week) and they were able to annoy me.

9. I'm still reading book 5 of the Game of Thrones, and progressing, but picked up a smaller paperback for my most recent work trip. I'm already halfway through it, and highly recommend it. The Book Thief. It's into a movie now, or will be soon, but the book is phenomenal thus far.

10. Evelyn likes to brush my hair. I love to have my hair brushed. Therefore I love her. That might not be exactly correct per my geometry rules, but it's how it works in this house.

Bonus:
1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!

2. To the Veteran's, thank you.

Monday Mumbles 26

1. I worked from home on Friday and guess what? I am not a fan. There are too many other chores staring me in the face, too many trashy TV shows at my fingertips, and snacks far too handy.

2. Traveling to New York for work  can be energizing. I'm traveling to across the river to New Jersey for work today, and I have a feeling I'll be gazing over at Manhattan with longing and envy.

3. And on that note...I have to cut out of here. Sorry for the short mumbles. I plan on doing a Halloween recap this week, with photos.

Get Write Wednesday 6

Michelle asked once in a comment why I had a llama at the bottom of my blog. Truth be told, it's a favorite photo of mine from a visit we made to the alpaca farm. So, to begin, it's not a llama but an alpaca. But more importantly why is it a favorite?

I like the blurriness of the close-up.
I like the reflection in its eye.
I like the imperfections of its teeth.
I like the sharpness of the background.

It's like life, isn't it? When things are so close to you, when you're so close you're practically inside out, all things appear so blurry. Lines fade and you criss-cross over them again and again until you can't recall if you're in the right lane, middle, or left. Zoomed in a bit more, you wouldn't be able to discern the alpaca's upper lip fuzz from nose hairs. Getting so up close and personal with situations of the heart or mind can make you absolutely crazy. The over-analyzing and second-guessing will have you pulling u-turns and running red lights in the blink of an eye.

But what if all that draws you outside yourself, and you see things anew? You see your own reflection through your own analysis? Admitting who you are or how you feel can sometimes appear to be the easiest of all tasks, when in reality it's the harshest opinion of all with which one comes to terms. I oftentimes know who I want to be in a given situation, and I oftentimes know how I feel, or how I will feel, in a given situation. I think that's true most of the time because I don't spend a lot of time behind or in front of a zoom lens. I rarely allow myself to blur or be blurred. I tend to keep things rational and above the fray. Seeing myself in the reflection of the eye, or reflected in my mind, is something I am admittedly not comfortable doing.

What is comforting with this alpaca, though, is its proud display of imperfect teeth. Yes, it was simply reaching and sniffing for food. But truly, animals cannot possibly evaluate themselves as we do, they just are. Their comfort with imperfections is endearing and acceptable. Will we ever evolve into such a way? Probably not. And frankly I've never been good with admitting imperfections or putting myself in a position to fail and admit failure. Lately though, I wonder if the need to hide the flaws has hindered me from zooming in and feeling more, but also detracted me from zooming out and seeing the bigger picture.

Which brings us to the background. The dirty backdrop of the grounds already trodden, and the green of the leaves up high, and the partial view of those with whom this alpaca lives. The photo is focused on this one creature that received the attention briefly, separately, apart from anyone or anything else. But in the photo, things are greater than this alpaca. It's a habitat, it's others, it's nature, and it's a day. A day encompasses more than just one creature, one focus, one blown up piece of our attention. Figuring out how to balance the entire picture is what we must do, each and every day. Focal points are important but they aren't the finale, and in the same breath, the artist must be cognizant that focal points play a part in getting us to the final canvass.

Monday Mumbles 25

1. Turner might find himself on the wrong side of my attitude if he doesn't start acting like the brainwashed Raiders fan he's supposed to be.

2. Speaking of football, I couldn't take another Kansas City Chiefs win, so midway through the 3rd quarter, I decided to remove myself and go for a run. Mind you, I haven't run in a couple of months. I pumped out 4 miles on pure irritation.

3. I finally got the kids in the portrait studio this past weekend. (Oops - Owen turned 5 in April, Sissy 3 in June, Turner 9 in August) BUT, they're all still those ages and the sitting went fantastic. This was the first year, ever, that Evelyn didn't cry/sob/weep. Not once. Success.

4. That said, and as their mother I feel I can say this without judgment, I think my kids are cuter in person than they are in photos. It might be their age and inability to NOT appear natural, but I think it's their mannerisms, the little facial adjustments and looks and giggles that truly make them adorable.

5. Someone mentioned to me once that my descriptive way of writing was interesting, and I should take up writing. They didn't know I had a blog, not that I do any writing here, but the comment struck a nerve. I do want to write. Something. Consistently. I just don't know WHAT.

6. I have failed in the birthday scrapbook realm. Turner's book might have 6 or 7 birthdays in it, Owen's might have 3, and Evelyn's - none. Poor girl. I need to suck it up and try to get back into it.

7. I've made mention a couple of times on Twitter how much I miss Patrick Swayze. Am I alone in this? Not that he was making recent films but it feels like they've stopped playing his old ones as often. I haven't seen Dirty Dancing or Road House in ages. I miss them. I need them.

8. After a good portrait session, the kids were rewarded with a pumpkin patch visit, idea courtesy of Grandma. Here are a couple of shots from the day.

The kids took full advantage of the non-traditional playground equipment. They're lounging on the roped spider web while Owen crawled around it with verbal description of what he was about to eat. 

They don't do so well posing nicely. Evelyn's giving a furrowed brow, Turner's eyes are barely open. Only Owen, the most uncooperative child ever, is posing nicely.

9. I had parent/teacher conferences last week. See the caption above? Yeah. When Owen's teacher met with a behavior expert who came to chat with all the teachers, she said she just kept thinking about Owen. Well isn't that fantastic? We're hopeful we can keep him on track with some partnered effort.

10. Turner's conference went just fine. Shocking. I only confirm that his nerdiness doesn't hinder his socializing, and she assured me that isn't the case. When kids get to partner with one another, they want to partner with him. He's chatty, friendly, and altogether a "pleasure". The kids are a "pleasure", either way, to me.

Tuesday Owenisms 11

Owen: You are the luckiest mom in the whole world.

Me: Did you mean I'm the luckiest, or you are?

Owen: You, because I'm your kid.

Monday Mumbles 24

1. Oops. 5 weeks went by. That was a worst for me. I apologize, little brother.

2. In that time, I took a 5 day work trip, turned 36, waved so long to a retiring co-worker, took on a new client, and maintained my no-Facebook status.

3. What I miss most about Facebook isn't Facebook-related at all. It was the mind-numbing scrolling habit I acquired during the evening, after kids went to bed. And it hasn't been all that hard to break, to be honest.

4. Without Facebook, however, I need to keep up on the blog. My brother and SIL have decided to move even further away from us and we'll see them even less than we did with them 5 hours. away. That will mean I have to get better about TAKING photos so that I can upload the photos. I will also have to get better about simply blogging our fun little stories so they may feel "in touch".

5. The last two times we were at my dad's, he's brought up eating sardines. He knows I detest them, the smell, the look. I'm gagging just thinking about it.

6. I'm doing my best to finish up book 5 of the Game of Thrones series so I can watch the TV series. I'm getting excited.

7. Reading #6 over again just made me sad. My life is sad. I need more excitement in my life.

8. Where we don't need excitement is with Owen and school. And so far....so good. He doesn't tattle on himself like Turner, so if Owen's gone to the safe seat, I don't hear about it same day. In fact, he only let it slip that he's gone there when he told me how he PUT himself there to get away from someone else...and oh, he'd gone there before. Unwillingly I'm sure, but he was scarce on details. Shocking. ;)

9. Work continues to be interesting. I like that. I like the people. I like the challenges.

10. Well friends, I hope you have a wonderful Monday.