1. I am thankful that despite the record breaking flooding in Duluth early yesterday, no one was seriously injured or killed. They have a long, broken road ahead of them.... you're all in my thoughts & prayers.
2. I'm grateful that we are afforded the opportunity to come home in the summer months, and equally as grateful for our annual two-week adventure in Washington to see the rest of our family. It certainly makes up for the other ten months of the year when we fly solo in far away Ohio.
3. I'm thankful my grandma has successfully made the transition from life on the farm to a suitable place in town with her mind & independence in tact.
4. I'm even more thankful I still have my grandma to spend time with. Both grandmas!
5. I am so grateful for Lauren. It is dreadfully painful to be in her presence when she is tired or hungry, but she makes up for it when she's not. The child has a kind heart and she's a good friend & loving little lady. I thank God everyday for that girl.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Anger Management
Abby. What more can I say? If you've spent time with the child lately, one thing is clear: managing her anger and controlling her behavior is not her strong suit.
I've tried everything.... Let her cry it out, let her work it out herself, talk her through it, impose consequences for escalated behavior, take away privileges. Long story short, I'm at the end of my rope. Short of hiring a life coach, I came up with one final solution, The Secret Code. When she gets angry, and you can bank on it happening sooner than later, she's supposed to give me a wink. "But what if you're not with me?" Easy! Find something pretty, pretend it's me and shoot it a wink; I will know. And with that suggestion it was like the heavens opened up and swallowed the intense frustration that had devoured her body.
Will it work every time? Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll be researching life coaches just in case.
I've tried everything.... Let her cry it out, let her work it out herself, talk her through it, impose consequences for escalated behavior, take away privileges. Long story short, I'm at the end of my rope. Short of hiring a life coach, I came up with one final solution, The Secret Code. When she gets angry, and you can bank on it happening sooner than later, she's supposed to give me a wink. "But what if you're not with me?" Easy! Find something pretty, pretend it's me and shoot it a wink; I will know. And with that suggestion it was like the heavens opened up and swallowed the intense frustration that had devoured her body.
Will it work every time? Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll be researching life coaches just in case.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Not so Ten On Tuesday
The past school year I made a diligent effort to make a daily post. It became a stealth record of the girls' school year and a nifty way to keep family & friends up on our latest musings. This year I find my efforts yielded by two things: First, the girls' additional night of two-hour gymnastics consumes even more of our already dwindling family time. Second, Blogger limits the number of pictures I can use without being charged a fee. Frustrating! I could solve the problem by setting my blog into a book and deleting pics, but of course I haven't made that commitment yet, so here I sit....
Ten on Tuesday has become my favorite weekly topic. I LOVE its randomness, its structure, and of all posts it's probably the one that best captures a single moment in time.
In a nod to random, here's my Ten on Tuesday. On Saturday.
1. I'm all for removing the drinking age. My proposal: eliminate the right-to-drink at age 21, let kids start drinking whenever they want and instead cap off at oh, lets say 34. As I see it kids can metabolize their booze much faster & get a much less severe hangover. Of course I'm kidding about really proposing this legislation change. But I am serious about one thing. No one told me that just two adult beverages would make me feel so crappy the next morning.
2. I truly cannot remember the last Friday night I went out on the town. I also cannot remember the last time I was awake late enough on East Coast time to be awake for The Tonight Show. I haven't decided if that makes me a rock star or just a sad old lady.
3. When "Tonight, Tonight" comes on the radio we still gasp, then turn it up and dance. Don't think that one will ever get old. We can get crazy let it all out.... Love it!
4. I like to click on the "Everything" option on Pinterest. That's where I've found most of the good stuff these days.
5. Last night Lauren told me she needed several cotton circle pads and a Q-Tip for a project. She would also need some glue to make it stick.... I can't wait to see what she comes up with!
6. Hey girl. I will never look at Ryan Gosling the same way again after seeing the mountain of Hey Girl inspirational pics. My new annoying habit: coming up with Hey girl captions for all the gals in my life.... that will probably never get old either. At least not to me. I won't stop 'till I've Hey girled each and every one of you. Hey girl, look out.
7. Spring forward already. Really? Ughh!
8. We've been pounding the smoothies lately. An overdose of vitamins, maybe. I'm all about anything that will keep 'em healthy.
9. My other favorite snack these days: apple & peanut butter sandwiches. The girls love Granny Smith apples, so I use an apple corer to core one Granny Smith and cut it into round slices 1/8" thick pieces. Spread peanut butter over one slice and top with another to make a sandwich. Who knows. Maybe someday we'll get clever and drizzle caramel or chocolate or even fill the hole with a random goody. Hmmmmm.
10. I have great faith that someday Abby will grow out of her tantrums of anger. She can be so mean, so nasty. What happened to that gentle, free-loving baby I once shared with the world?
Ten on Tuesday has become my favorite weekly topic. I LOVE its randomness, its structure, and of all posts it's probably the one that best captures a single moment in time.
In a nod to random, here's my Ten on Tuesday. On Saturday.
1. I'm all for removing the drinking age. My proposal: eliminate the right-to-drink at age 21, let kids start drinking whenever they want and instead cap off at oh, lets say 34. As I see it kids can metabolize their booze much faster & get a much less severe hangover. Of course I'm kidding about really proposing this legislation change. But I am serious about one thing. No one told me that just two adult beverages would make me feel so crappy the next morning.
2. I truly cannot remember the last Friday night I went out on the town. I also cannot remember the last time I was awake late enough on East Coast time to be awake for The Tonight Show. I haven't decided if that makes me a rock star or just a sad old lady.
3. When "Tonight, Tonight" comes on the radio we still gasp, then turn it up and dance. Don't think that one will ever get old. We can get crazy let it all out.... Love it!
4. I like to click on the "Everything" option on Pinterest. That's where I've found most of the good stuff these days.
5. Last night Lauren told me she needed several cotton circle pads and a Q-Tip for a project. She would also need some glue to make it stick.... I can't wait to see what she comes up with!
6. Hey girl. I will never look at Ryan Gosling the same way again after seeing the mountain of Hey Girl inspirational pics. My new annoying habit: coming up with Hey girl captions for all the gals in my life.... that will probably never get old either. At least not to me. I won't stop 'till I've Hey girled each and every one of you. Hey girl, look out.
7. Spring forward already. Really? Ughh!
8. We've been pounding the smoothies lately. An overdose of vitamins, maybe. I'm all about anything that will keep 'em healthy.
9. My other favorite snack these days: apple & peanut butter sandwiches. The girls love Granny Smith apples, so I use an apple corer to core one Granny Smith and cut it into round slices 1/8" thick pieces. Spread peanut butter over one slice and top with another to make a sandwich. Who knows. Maybe someday we'll get clever and drizzle caramel or chocolate or even fill the hole with a random goody. Hmmmmm.
10. I have great faith that someday Abby will grow out of her tantrums of anger. She can be so mean, so nasty. What happened to that gentle, free-loving baby I once shared with the world?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Abby ♥
Despite the fact that the child has a unmistakable fire in her belly, Lauren is sweet to the core. How do I know? I found a letter she wrote to her big sister, penned on her special outer space stationary. On the front of the sealed envelope you'll simply find "Abby ♥" The letter reads....
You
are my
Fen an
you are
nes
Love, Lauren
The child melts my heart.
You
are my
Fen an
you are
nes
Love, Lauren
The child melts my heart.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
Now that the girls are old enough, I decided it was time to beef up their writing skills and what better way than keeping a journal. Today was our first day, and barring a raging tantrum from Abby, I'd say it went pretty well.
When presented with the idea the girls were in love at first thought. This morning they could hardly contain their excitement for this afternoon's project.
The rules are simple: each day will be a different subject. The objective is to make them strong writers & independent thinkers. This afternoon the three of us each opened up a crisp writing book.
Let the journaling begin....
[Brooke]
1. They are building the house behind ours very fast! I wonder when they'll move in!
2. Lauren makes me smile.
3. Abby is more like me than she'll ever admit.
4. I love storms. Tomorrow: a thunderstorm is on tap. I kind of wish it was snow, but I'm ready for a mild Spring.
5. I've found more ideas on Pinterest than I could ever keep up with.
6. There's something about old birdhouses.
7. The cabin is my favorite place on Earth.
8. Sharpened pencils give me peace.
9. When Abby gets mad, she gets MAD!
[Lauren]
1. them one aving Fun
2. my mome mes me surh
3. you mek me hpu
4. I love you mom
5. You can Love me
6. We are tkly
7. I like Tes hou
8. You are my iret mom I like it
9. I Like my name
10. I Like rotkt
[Abby]
1. they are wrok on house
2. I make ten cukes
3. I have ten mittins
4. and a lot of hats
5. I Play in ten millin timeis
6. I like the hubru ten
7. and I like to Play
8. I love my mommy.
9. I like to be safteyu.
10. it is the last one
Clearly we have a little work to do, but all-in-all I'd say they've got the idea. And what can I say.... Abby already knows 'a lot' are two words. Right on little Brooke!
When presented with the idea the girls were in love at first thought. This morning they could hardly contain their excitement for this afternoon's project.
The rules are simple: each day will be a different subject. The objective is to make them strong writers & independent thinkers. This afternoon the three of us each opened up a crisp writing book.
Let the journaling begin....
[Brooke]
1. They are building the house behind ours very fast! I wonder when they'll move in!
2. Lauren makes me smile.
3. Abby is more like me than she'll ever admit.
4. I love storms. Tomorrow: a thunderstorm is on tap. I kind of wish it was snow, but I'm ready for a mild Spring.
5. I've found more ideas on Pinterest than I could ever keep up with.
6. There's something about old birdhouses.
7. The cabin is my favorite place on Earth.
8. Sharpened pencils give me peace.
9. When Abby gets mad, she gets MAD!
[Lauren]
1. them one aving Fun
2. my mome mes me surh
3. you mek me hpu
4. I love you mom
5. You can Love me
6. We are tkly
7. I like Tes hou
8. You are my iret mom I like it
9. I Like my name
10. I Like rotkt
[Abby]
1. they are wrok on house
2. I make ten cukes
3. I have ten mittins
4. and a lot of hats
5. I Play in ten millin timeis
6. I like the hubru ten
7. and I like to Play
8. I love my mommy.
9. I like to be safteyu.
10. it is the last one
Clearly we have a little work to do, but all-in-all I'd say they've got the idea. And what can I say.... Abby already knows 'a lot' are two words. Right on little Brooke!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
1. I thought Lauren was dead. Okay, not really. But the thought did cross my mind when Geoff & I woke up after 9 on Sunday morning and hadn't heard a peep from our early riser. Before long she came strolling into our bedroom asking, "Did you read the book I put on your nightstand for you?" It didn't take much coaxing to get her to snuggle in bed with us and read it.... The 3 LPZ or as she read it, The Three Little Pigs. Of course the big, bad wolf was a werewolf in her version and she even added the finishing touch: a Scooby Doo sticker to the front cover. Only Lauren.
2. I found my crack. Glee! When my cold turned into the flu, which them morphed into a sinus infection I spent A LOT of time on the couch catching up quickly on Season II of Glee. Genius writing. I'm admittedly an addict.
3. My gal pal, Susie, will be happy to know that I've now gone active on Goodreads. My other new internet addiction.
4. I finally freed myself of my last old-fashioned paper book and began my first book on my Kindle. The fact that Wi-Fi takes up a lot of battery makes it really easy to tune out the distraction of its internet capabilities and focus on my book, which by the way, I'm really enjoying!
5. Abby's first grade bestie is Emma. The way Abby's face lights up when she talks about her friend fills my heart with joy. It's such a treat to watch her enjoying being a young girl.
6. I drove home with the windows down today. It's January.
7. The smaller, thin-skinned lemons are much juicer and more flavorful.
8. I would never pay $13.99 for a half gallon of Graeter's ice cream. This makes me very unOhio. That does not make me sad.
9. Wuden't isn't in my vocabulary. This makes me excessively unOhio. I'm still not weeping.
10. I currently work for the best boss I've ever had. She's a 100% Ohioan (is that what they call themselves?!) but she is by far one of the people I respect the most, personally & professionally. I've learned more from her than she can probably imagine.
2. I found my crack. Glee! When my cold turned into the flu, which them morphed into a sinus infection I spent A LOT of time on the couch catching up quickly on Season II of Glee. Genius writing. I'm admittedly an addict.
3. My gal pal, Susie, will be happy to know that I've now gone active on Goodreads. My other new internet addiction.
4. I finally freed myself of my last old-fashioned paper book and began my first book on my Kindle. The fact that Wi-Fi takes up a lot of battery makes it really easy to tune out the distraction of its internet capabilities and focus on my book, which by the way, I'm really enjoying!
5. Abby's first grade bestie is Emma. The way Abby's face lights up when she talks about her friend fills my heart with joy. It's such a treat to watch her enjoying being a young girl.
6. I drove home with the windows down today. It's January.
7. The smaller, thin-skinned lemons are much juicer and more flavorful.
8. I would never pay $13.99 for a half gallon of Graeter's ice cream. This makes me very unOhio. That does not make me sad.
9. Wuden't isn't in my vocabulary. This makes me excessively unOhio. I'm still not weeping.
10. I currently work for the best boss I've ever had. She's a 100% Ohioan (is that what they call themselves?!) but she is by far one of the people I respect the most, personally & professionally. I've learned more from her than she can probably imagine.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
1. "Today is the day," Abby proclaimed right away this morning. Four weeks ago today was the day she joined the club, and now she can finally change her earrings. She picked the "Love" earrings she got from her aunt & uncle for her birthday to be her first alternative to the originals. I proudly report she learned to change them all by herself!
2. While it seems people in Minnesota are falling like dominoes as victims of the flu, a rash of strep that turns into Scarlet Fever is sweeping through our part of Ohio. Yikes!
3. I stumbled upon Adam Young's blog the other day. Ironically it was a post about how he pulled the name "Owl City" & it was featured with a pic of the Lift Bridge in Duluth. I'm not sure what the exact link to that bridge is, but it fascinates me how a kid who grew up in the same town I grew up in has achieved such greatness while I clearly live the simple life. Whooooo knows?!
4. What is Adel really talking about when she says she set fire to the rain?
5. Killing Lincoln is so well written that I cannot help but watch the President's speech tonight and compare & contrast the traditions today with those in the 1860s. I can't help but wonder what Lincoln would think about every element of our country today. Funny, I bet he couldn't even begin to imagine. And yet we can't imagine our country without him.
6. How my sweet & caring child can lie stone-cold to her mother & father blows me away. My heart truly sinks with grief at the thought of what happens to people who so blatantly lie. I know some of those people. It's a cold existence. Now, how to keep her from falling to that fate....
7. An unexpected conversation with a fellow gymnastics mom last night revealed a disturbing discovery about the correlation between Kelly Air Force Base and Leukemia & Lou Gehrig's Disease. What is going on in San Antonio that would contaminate the water and the people living & working at Kelly? Heartbreaking.
8. Random Pintrest grab: Muffin Tin Eggs.
9. Clever Repurpose Pintrest grab: It's a Rake. Seriously, this website is like crack.... once you start, you can't stop looking!
10. Another cold is taking hold of my entire body. Tomorrow should be swell. Looks like I'll be double-fisting my grapefruit juice.
2. While it seems people in Minnesota are falling like dominoes as victims of the flu, a rash of strep that turns into Scarlet Fever is sweeping through our part of Ohio. Yikes!
3. I stumbled upon Adam Young's blog the other day. Ironically it was a post about how he pulled the name "Owl City" & it was featured with a pic of the Lift Bridge in Duluth. I'm not sure what the exact link to that bridge is, but it fascinates me how a kid who grew up in the same town I grew up in has achieved such greatness while I clearly live the simple life. Whooooo knows?!
4. What is Adel really talking about when she says she set fire to the rain?
5. Killing Lincoln is so well written that I cannot help but watch the President's speech tonight and compare & contrast the traditions today with those in the 1860s. I can't help but wonder what Lincoln would think about every element of our country today. Funny, I bet he couldn't even begin to imagine. And yet we can't imagine our country without him.
6. How my sweet & caring child can lie stone-cold to her mother & father blows me away. My heart truly sinks with grief at the thought of what happens to people who so blatantly lie. I know some of those people. It's a cold existence. Now, how to keep her from falling to that fate....
7. An unexpected conversation with a fellow gymnastics mom last night revealed a disturbing discovery about the correlation between Kelly Air Force Base and Leukemia & Lou Gehrig's Disease. What is going on in San Antonio that would contaminate the water and the people living & working at Kelly? Heartbreaking.
8. Random Pintrest grab: Muffin Tin Eggs.
9. Clever Repurpose Pintrest grab: It's a Rake. Seriously, this website is like crack.... once you start, you can't stop looking!
10. Another cold is taking hold of my entire body. Tomorrow should be swell. Looks like I'll be double-fisting my grapefruit juice.
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{About Me}
- brookie
- Fairborn, Ohio, United States
- I'm a teacher by trade, writer at heart & mom in every sense of my being. I never considered writing as a profession, but after I got married and began moving around the country, I began sharing my adventures, misadventures & updates through a sort of e-mail newsletter. I found a true passion in unconventional story-telling that has followed me into motherhood.