Naval Rec Ctr and Washington DC

It’s been a while since I last posted anything. We went on vacation and now I have lots of fun pictures to share.

We had a family reunion too, but I won’t share the majority of those pictures here. It just doesn’t seem fair to post pictures of other people on the web without their permission. So I won’t. But there were some really cool things to see in DC and they were definitely picture worthy!

First of all, was the drive in.




We took the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The mountains were beautiful! It surprised me how much of the countryside was undeveloped, miles and miles of forested land that made my ears pop with the up and down elevation. When we came to the top of one of those mountains and were afforded the view of the valley below, it just took my breath away. I would have pictures, except we didn’t stop and the view between the trees didn’t last long enough on any given stretch for me to get my camera booted up and ready to shoot.

We went through some tunnels.




And then we turned a corner and there was Pittsburgh! The homes were built into the mountainsides, and bridges were everywhere! There must have been some construction going on as well, for nearly everywhere I looked there were cranes. Really huge ones!



Then when we arrived at the reunion site it was late in the evening. Solomon Islands, Naval Recreation Center in Maryland, was wonderful! They had a beach, a pool complex that actually contained a baby pool a wading pool, a lap pool and diving pool; with a slide in both the lap and diving pools. On the grounds they also had put-put, paddleboat rentals, playgrounds and camping, both tent and RV. We who were there for the reunion however, stayed in the lodges. They were duplex cabins that had three rooms each; an open living, dining and kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom that had a set of bunks and a double bed (plus the couch in the living room was a hide a bed). Each cabin came with comforts like: an iron, microwave, coffeemaker dishes and utensils, a TV and a DVD player. I could have stayed a month there and still not run out of interesting things to do. All the pictures of the cabins I have though, have other people in them. So, you will have to just take my word for how beautiful they were.

The beach … the beach is a source of wonderful stories and pictures to share with you though! The first night we got there it was near dusk. We’d been in the car for what seemed like forever and the weather was just hot. After check in and a mad dash into bathing suits, and attempted to get into the pool. Our luck, they closed at 7:00 and it was only 10 minutes till that time. Undaunted we descended the small hill path to the shore. There weren’t many people around, but the few that were all stood at the waters edge looking into the lagoon. Apparently, a stingray had wandered into the swimming area and wasn’t frightened off by the splashing. On top of that, there was an infestation of jellyfish! Most of us waded in about knee deep, and some refused to enter. We Michigan folk were used to our fresh water lakes that didn’t have things that want to bite or sting you waiting under the waves. It was depressing. We felt like wimps at first, but then a little boy got stung by a jellyfish and well, it was easy to just say no after that.

I couldn’t get a picture of the ray, but I did get a couple of the jellyfish.









And here is gross one of a horseshoe crab that washed ashore and fed the flies.




Here is a picture of some wildlife that flew in and floated on the lagoon.



This one will be my next desktop wallpaper. The sunset was so beautiful; I just wanted to breathe its orange light right into my soul.





During the reunion, we had a slide show, a silent auction and lots of time for conversations. It was over too quickly, the hugs and pictures cementing into spirit and film this slice of time. We took many upon many family photos, told stories and wished time could stand still for a while longer.

Then we drove the couple hours back toward DC from Maryland. We rented a hotel, dropped our stuff and got on the Metro. This train went both underground and above. Sometimes it went deep enough to make my ears pop! About half of the stops were above ground though, so I don’t think it was a true subway. In anycase, there are several “lines” all color coded and intersecting at various points. There is also a tram that can take you on tour spots and deliver you from one end of the city, Metro entrances as well, to the other. So between the two, it’s entirely possible to walk all of DC. We were only able to hit a few spots and in the heat, it was enough!

Here is a picture of the interior of the Metro.





My picture tour starts from the “Mall” area where I was able to get great shots of the Capitol, White House and Washington Monuments, all from a distance.

Here they are:













Our first up-close view was of the WWII Memorial. This is an impressive structure of sculptures, fountains and inscriptions on the walls. I was whelmed, and not just by the heat.

It’s roughly in an oval shape with two towers that anchor either end and a fountain between.





One says Atlantic




And the other says Pacific.




All along the edges are columns that contain the names of each of the states. I like this picture because it was framed to get a closer picture of the columns and read what’s inscribed on them, but it had the Washington Monument and a flag also, balancing the picture.




It was the hottest part of the day. We’d just trekked from the metro station to this memorial and I was cowering in a sliver of shade and dearly blessed the architect that had fashioned benches along the edges. Bill and three of the girls went to the edge of the fountain and slipped their feet into the water. He told me later that while he had them there, and the power of the place held him in its thrall, he explained how freedom felt from tyranny by using the heat of the day and the cool of the water as his metaphor.




After I had recovered a little, I noticed that all along the edges of this monument, there were quotes that had been etched into the stone. Being a lover of words the quotes held a power over me that eclipsed the architecture. Here is a picture of but one of them.





From there, we went to the Lincoln Memorial. Another long trek, but this time, someone had thoughtfully planted a double row of trees along the edge of the reflecting pond with a pathway between. While still about halfway there I took a picture, knowing that once I was closer I would not be able to frame the entire building.





And here is the statue of the great man himself.





Carved into the pedestal that he sits on is this inscription. It reads: “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”





For me, the coolest part was reading the Gettysburg Address out loud from the inscription along the side of the walls, and hear my voice echo words from our past.





Jessica thought it was pretty cool too. That or maybe she was just tired.





Here is another very cool picture that I took there. The reflecting pool, doing it’s job of reflecting. 





Then it was time to move on. The next closest memorial was the Vietnam Memorial. There was a retaining wall triangular in nature made up of panels of dark stone each etched with the names of those died or are missing still onto the wall. At the bottom of some of those panels were flowers, pictures and mementos that people had left behind. One person even left a medal of honor there at the base. Where the WWII memorial shouted it’s victory with statues and statements of stone. The Vietnam Memorial whispered the names of those who paid their lives. This was not a temple, it was a wailing wall.




When we left there, we went off for the final long walk of the day to The White House. It was a walk made much longer by the fact that we were carrying children by this time. The heat had sapped our energy and the kids held up so well for so long, but it was near evening and they had just had it. We finally made it though, and the view was beautiful.

Here it is




I have this little quirk I’ve noticed in my photography. I like to get pictures of the girls with Bill from behind. It measures their growth, it cements the moment from their viewpoint in terms of what they are looking at, but it also shows the kids my viewpoint as I am often the caboose to Bill’s engine. This is how I remember them, hand in hand with their daddy who walks them through life. It is precious to me. This is Bill with Megan on the left, and Jessica on the right.





That was the end of our tour for the day. We went the next day to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

The building and even inside was simply too big to get good pictures. By that I mean compositions that held enough of one thing to be able to identify what it was you were looking at. It was ginormous! They had the first airplane, Apollo capsules, missiles, an Imax theater and flight simulators, along with exhibits that were very hands on and kid friendly.

Here are a few pictures





I think my favorite exhibit was one in which a working model plane is suspend from wires over a bank of fans. The station had all the working levers, pedals and joystick of a plane that allowed you to control the pitch, roll and yaw of flight.





I can’t resist putting this one in as well, even though it’s not in focus I love the lighting, the wind blowing through Megan’s hair and Kimberly looking on.




Next came the National Archives Museum. If you have ever seen National Treasure, the building on the inside is not quite like the movie portrays. But I am ahead of myself! Here is a picture of the outside of the building. It is so large, that this picture is taken from across the street and halfway down the block.





Here is a picture of the carving at the peak of the roofline.





On either side of the massive stairs is a statue on a pedestal. Around the left side of the building (looking on) and under the stairs there is the tourist entrance. Where you are filed through a metal detector, just like at the airport. Here is a picture of the statue and the inscription, which reads: “The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future”





We had been standing in the bright sunshine and oppressive heat, waiting in line to get into the building. Once inside, it was blessedly cool and dim. I swear I could have plopped right down on the floor and snored until the next day. Then the realization hit me of just how dim it really was! There were hundreds of us lined up inside the foyer with signs posted that no flash photography was allowed. The ceiling of the entrance was lit up, and I snapped a picture of all of us in the crowded foyer waiting to view the documents.





That was the best picture I could get in the building. The movie National Treasure made it look much brighter than it really was and I won’t even bothering posting the other pictures I took. For one the light was too low, but also because the documents were so very faded, that it was difficult to read them, even with my nose pressed to the glass. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and a number of other documents were on display there. There was a definite aura of reverence in the room, with paintings in banners along the edges of the wall, marble columns and brass accents. I hate to compare it to a mausoleum, since the heart of our country, the documents that structure it are housed there, but that is the feeling I left with. I think the wall paintings may have come out, I will post those pictures too but I am sorry of you aren’t able to see it well. I haven’t done any retouching yet.








Our last stop for the day was at Arlington National Cemetary. So off we went to the nearest Metro station and descended the escalator. By this time we were pros at the Metro and while the kids thought it was fun on the first day to try to stand up and hold the rails, by this time our feet and backs hurt and we would gladly have sat down. It was rush hour of a weekday though and they were all crammed. Here is a pic of our group looking down the tracks to see the train coming.





We’d lost our stamina, but not our sense of humor. Here is a picture of the train from the outside:





At Arlington there are rows upon rows of headstones in perfect formation. I discovered that Robert E. Lee originally owned the property and two of our Presidents are buried there, John Kennedy and Robert Taft. There are memorials scattered throughout to honor generals and distinguished people. The most impressive part of it to me, was to see the hillside ripple with headstones as far as the eye could see.





And here, if you look between the branches of the tree, you can see the hillside beyond it as it too is spotted with headstones.





Then while there, we were in time to catch the changing of the guard for the unknown soldier. The “Old Guard” watches over these three tombs night and day, rain or shine and has kept continual vigil since the practice began. They take exactly 21 steps in front of it. Pause for 21 seconds and turns to take another 21 steps. Every half hour the Guard changes and does so with a ceremony. This picture is of the commander who comes out to explain the ceremony and the significance of the number 21.






Then he walks back in that peculiar ceremonial gait to greet the new guard. There they go through an arms inspection.





After the new guard meets his approval, he marches him up to trade places with the previous guard and both of them walk back into the interior of the amphitheater that the ceremony takes place in. This whole time, no one in the audience speaks.





It was very moving for me, the air practically crackled with the crispness of the event. It had the feeling of being very intense and precise in purpose and reverence. When the reality that this ceremony has happens 48 times a day, every single day and has done so for decades… I was awed. For those of us who have lived for some of those decades the weight of the years hung in the air and provided a depth to the service – a layer that shimmered as in shadow. We ask a lot of our men and woman who risk their lives for their country. But we also honor them.

Here is the marker: “Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God.”




And that, my friends was our tour of the Capitol. I will never forget it.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting

He that lives upon hope will die fasting. ~ Benjamin Franklin

That is the trigger for this weeks challenge at The NoteBored. Do you write? Are you interested to see what kind of story you can come up with in three days that is under one thousand words? Register at http://rittinger.admiralxp.com/index.php and look for the “Challenge!” forum to play along.

On reading and writing

Today the votes close on the challenge at the NoteBored. I am excited because I seem to be doing well and getting votes. *yay!* I will open a reveal thread on the bbs and let everyone admit to which story was theirs.

Today I am working on a short story that was written maybe 6 months ago. (I’d have to check the creation date on it to be sure) It deals with abuse and it’s unsettling. Every time I go to polish it to get it off my desk and out the door, my eyes slide right off of it and I find something else to do that “needs” to be done. Avoidance! Plus, there is that nasty little niggling of where to send it. I don’t know of any editors who are interested in this type of story. I have put out a call of help to the community of writers I hang out with, it could be that I will find someone who can help aim my submission.

Today is the 4th day of VBS, the skits seem to be working well and though I have the largest group of kids in my “class” they are not unmanageable and seem to respond to my leadership just fine. It’s going well.

I am also reading two books these days: Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb and Tricksters Queen by Tamora Pierce; an instructional Christian book and a young adult fantasy. I also have this nice stack of Sci Fi mags (Asimov and Analog) that I was given by a friend to read. I have at least two of them in progress. I love to read longer stories, but I find that I write more short fiction than anything else. So, it’s very good to read the stories that “made the cut” for the magazines I want to submit to. I still have a ways to go before my fiction is ready for those publications, but I will keep aiming myself there.

Well, I am off to work on “Burn” and no more procrastinating. I think it is time to finish the polish on that story and get it out the door. Thanks for tagging along with me today.

Comments needed!

It’s been way too long since I updated my journal. I am sorry for that. I know that there are a few of you who do check in everyday.

I have spent the last few weeks working on the VBS skits for my church. E-mail me if you want to read a copy of them, or you can join the NoteBored (http://rittinger.admiralxp.com/index.php) and read them on the play forum.

Speaking of the NoteBored, it’s growing! We’ve had lots of new people join recently and the writing contests are picking up speed too. We just finished a challenge with the word “Star” as the trigger and tomorrow the voting ends to choose which story was best. Very cool.

I have hit a point now where I need to decide where to focus my writing time. Should I buckle down and finish one of the longer stories I have going, but not finished? Or should I start revising the plethora of short stories that sit on my hard drive? If, after reading the list of things I have going from the previous entry, you have one that strikes your interest, please leave me a comment. Chances are good that if you are interested in it from the description, an editor might be interested in it in its final form. If you do leave me a suggestion; and you want to see the revised version of what you’ve chosen, send me an e-mail asking for a copy and I will gladly let you read it too. (I just can’t publish it here if I want to sell it in the future.)

Feedback is a good thing!

Works in progress

Today I am going to start writing the VBS skits … I have been putting it off way too long and now it’s down to the wire.

In fact, I am going to use them in my “classroom” forum on The NoteBored, as an assignment. Wish me luck?

Today is also billing day. I need more than luck; I need a swift kick in the pants to keep motivated!

I just wanted to log into here and let people know I am still alive, still kicking and still writing. (I was able to get another thousand words applied to my historical fiction and another 800 words tacked on to a short story- turned novel. So my muse hasn’t been quiet, I just need to be focusing on the VBS Skits next!

I spent a few hours and updated my works in progress a little while back, and I am thinking of posting that here on my blog as well. Mostly so that those who do follow my rants here can get a glimps of what I have been doing and what I have in progress, since I don’t post my stories here. (if I ever hope to sell them, publishing them here first would be a mistake as that would my “first publishing rights”)

Now that I’ve said it, I think I will.

Let me know if you would like to read any of these stories, I will e-mail you directly if you do. I can always use feedback!


Works in progress

Stories I am actively submitting / or awaiting responses:Broken Eggs – Flash - a story about how a young mother reacts to the death of her sister. This story was inspired by a true event, and not heavy on conflict, which may be the reason it’s not getting pubbed anywhere yet. I confess that I haven’t kept good track of where it has been sent – I need a better system to do this! If anyone wants to read this and help me look for a home for it, let me know and I will post it here in this forum.

Bad Things Come in Threes – Flash – This came out of a Scrawl challenge and has gone through many upon many rewrites. It has gathered lots of rejection notices. It may need yet another rewrite but I second guess my own judgment on this one. In any case, either it needs to get back out there… or I just cut bait and pull a different fish from my barrel. You are welcome to peek at it if you like.

A Choice of Two Evils – Flash – A horrorish story about reincarnation, an evil mage and one old woman who has to make a terrible decision.

Sarah’s Winter – Short Story / Flash – This is a Christian flash dealing with grief and anger toward God. I’ve gotten some mixed reviews on it and it’s gone through lots of rewrites. This has been subbed to a paying mag, still waiting for a reply.




Stories that need to be actively in the submission circuit and would you please kick me in the pants?
Run – Flash - A woman finds the courage and runs away from her old life. We don’t know why she ran, but she does and seems okay with it. Of all the crits I have gotten on this one, none of them mind not knowing why she’s left. It’s got a satisfying ending.


Stories that need a final polish or a fresh set of eyes:
Words – Flash - 500 Word Essay on, you guessed it, writing.

Heaven In His Eyes – Play – This is a full length Easter play. It was the first play I’d ever written and I think that although it needs some polish (I am a stronger writer now than when this was written) It needs to get the final polish and I will likely send it to the same playhouse that I send “All Boxed up.” As with that play, this one needs to be formatted correctly.

All Boxed Up – Play- This is a Christmas monologue of a woman who is grieving the first year without her husband as she digs out the Christmas ornaments. I think this play is ready for a final polish and I need to investigate the formatting requirements for sending to a Christian playhouse.



Stories I am working on the second draft and incorporating all the great feedback, I have already gotten:
Burn – Flash – This is is a very disturbing story. It’s one that I am having a hard time sitting still and working on because of it’s subject matter. Since it is on my desk now, let me know if you would like to read it. I think I will be ready for new eyes (or simply to repost it by the end of the week.



Stories that are sitting in my rewrite folder:
Joy Ride – Flash – Yet another Liberty Hall flash contest. It got some votes for it’s characterization! This flash was inspired by a picture trigger of a little girl on a bike (with training wheels), perched at the very top of a roller coaster.

Road Kill – Flash - from Liberty Hall flash contest and I’ve gotten some good advice for the rewrite. A runaway teen starts to rethink her decisions, and still shies away from them in the end.

Freefall – Sci Fi Short Story – Liberty Hall flash challenge. I forget the trigger at the moment, but I loved this new world I’d created. Once I pull it out again, it might get moved to the novel section. The question is: would that doom it to certain death or will it stand a better chance of getting done if I keep it as a short story? Things to make you go “hmmmmm.”

A Father’s Dream – Flash – I read a blog from a man who was grieving the loss of his baby who was aborted. The blog evoked such a strong emotional response from me, I tried to write my own flash story that reflected the emotions he’d mapped out so well for me. The crits I’ve gotten on this say everything from “Too heavy handed” (political / religious) to, “Too feminine for a male viewpoint”. So I sort of shelved it for now, but in it’s re-write will likely be targeted for a Christian publication.

The Sleep Monster – Short Story – This is a Liberty Hall, flash picture challenge. This one needs a major rewrite and some length added to it.

Ophelia and Henry – Flash – This came from a challenge over at Zoetrope (Elizabeth Crabtree’s office). I like the characters, and I have been given good advice on it, I just need to pick it up again and do the rewrite.

Untitled from NoteBored “Blank” Challenge – A wife hears “I am leaving for another woman” and this is her response to him. This one has some promise, but not sure what to do with it. Maybe another set of eyes…

Other Side of the Door – Flash – Liberty Hall Picture challenge. It’s an okay flash, I am not wild about it. But maybe I just need some advice on if it’s worth revamping or what.

Utricide – Flash – Liberty Hall’s first flash. I like the story, hate the name – needs a powerful rewrite.

Kelsey – Flash – failed flash, needs a storyline and some conflict. Right now I just like the girl who was born from it. I may keep this character but put her in a new situation later on.

Momma Hoyer’s Tale – Short Story -A family friend hears the story of when Momma Hoyer was a little girl.

The Nature of Love – Poem – This needs a new title and a rewrite! It came out of my own loneliness during tax season for my husband, who is a CPA.

Wrong Side of the Tracks – Short Story - My first crack at a mystery (two scenes).

You Don’t Miss Much – Flash – This is the story of a younger brother who feels the distance between he and his elder brother growing ever since he got a girlfriend.

Kiss the Prince – Poem – This is from the scrawl flash challenge “frog.” This one has gone through several tiny rewrites. I am giving it a little bit of time to sit while I look for a market.

Sundial Kitty – Poem – This is from the LH flash challenge “Transom.” This needs a rewrite and some cuts. I tried to make this poem do too many things.

Night Moves – Flash – A single mother struggles to raise her teenage son, alone.

End of the Rainbow – Stort Story? Flash? To be honest, I wrote it so long ago, it might be scrap. I think I would need to submit a cleaned up copy for a round of crits to see what the feedback is on it.

A Mixed Bag – Play – One Act play about a diverse group of people stuck in the back hallways of a mall for a tornado. These characters all talk about what’s important to them and what they will do if they get out of it alive.

What Was He Thinking? – Play – A humorous Christmas skit that pokes a tiny bit of fun while it illustrates the reasons why a bunch of shepherds on a hill were the first ones to hear about Jesus being born.

Miracle Makeovers – Play – A game show style skit that talks about how being a Christian doesn’t mean that you are suddenly perfect.

The Blind Man’s Tale - Play – Easter monologue of a man who was born blind, given sight by Jesus and is now narrating His final moments in front of Pontius Pilot.

Pocket lint – Play – A short skit that illustrates normal financial pressures and dynamics within a family. I need to put an ending on this. It was commissioned from a lady at church who didn’t want a happy ending, but wanted to leave you with a sense of hanging. I complied and gave her something she was happy with, but never came back to give it closure.



Stories that are much longer and are on various stages of never-done-ness:
Spider in the Web – Sci Fi Novel – I have posted a few pages of this for crits and gotten some very positive feedback. This is an “After the genetic and chemical, third world war” sort of story. It’s character driven and likely the most thought out and complex story I’ve ever tried to write. I don’t think I am a strong enough writer to do it justice yet.

Mail Order Bride – Historical Romance Novel – 8,662 words (as of 06-01-05)

This is so far, three stories that I am trying to tie into one. I have the story of a good medicine man – gone bad, who becomes the antagonist. There is the doctor, who has a small Pennsylvania practice, and takes in a wayward medicine man who becomes fixated on his daughter (who happens to wear a pendant that he once gave to his long dead wife). Then there is that daughter (all grown up) who travels west to become a mail order bride after her father has been murdered by said Indian. This Indian is now tracking her across Civil War torn country, to claim that pendant. A pendant he believes to hold power.

Will Sally be able to save herself from the mad medicine man before he weaves his plots? *eyebrows wriggle* I need to figure that!

Maggie (The Guardian Series) – Young Adult Novella 15,944 words (as of 06-01-05) and nine chapters done out of 14 chapters in the outline. Here is the teaser:

General story line…
The Guardian series revolves around the supposition that at the time in history when God shortened man’s life span to 120, he left a several men and women with their original DNA structure intact. As in the days before the flood, God grants long life to a Guardian along with the ability to see and speak into the spiritual realm as John and Daniel did. The Guardians each hold in their trust a talisman from ages past. They remain in the background tipping the balance here and standing in the crossroads there; helping humankind along the rocky road down history.

Maggie’s story line… present day
Maggie, asked by her Grandmother to come and visit for the summer, has a decision she has to make. After much considering, she accepts and is soon away from her family for the first time and feeling home-sick. Fate takes a left turn as she realizes that all is not as it seems at first. Why does grandma disappear for unexplained periods? What is she hiding in her attic? As her curiosity grows, she is caught up in mystery and intrigue. Join Maggie, as she uncovers Grandma’s secret and finds the courage to meet her own future.


Stories that are plotted and / or outlined:
A Laundry Maids Tale – Anecdotal Novel – Think Erma Bombeck, only with laundry… lots of laundry.

Pencilvania – Children’s Picture Book – What happens when color comes to a decidedly black and white pen and pencil world?



Stories that are too small for a flash and need to be expanded into a novel. (Also known as, “doomed never to see the light of day” at the rate I am going.)
New Haven – Flash challenge that was too big for it’s britches.

Icarus – Flash challenge that was too big for it’s britches

Without a Trace – Flash challenge that was too big for it’s britches

A little grace

You know how sometimes things can take a serious turn in a person’s life? Sometimes those things just aught not be posted on a public board – and so I don’t, but this “thing” has been going on in my family that’s caused me to turn inward for a while.

In the broadest possible terms, the result has been that my son has moved out to live with his dad. It’s been a turbulent and very emotional time, and so I have been quiet here on the net. I feel though, that rather than trying to go on as if nothing has happened, I should let you all know that I am not on top of things like I normally am.

I am still here, just distracted. So please give me a little grace in the next few weeks while things settle into a normal.

Doctor Update

I never told those who might be interested what happened with the doctor. I just got busy with other stuff and sidetracked.

I did go to the doctor and after hearing what I'd been going through, he took a listen to my ticker and told me that my heart was fine. Apparently, when you have a sensitive Autonomic Nervous System, your heart rate speeds up when you breathe in and slows down when you breathe out. Mine is very sensitive. When I asked what the ANS is, he told me that it's the part of your system that governs the workings of your internal organs, the reactions that your skin goes through when you are scared, touched, embarrassed etc. It also is what controls the beats and regulations of your heart. The ANS is what they measure when you take a lie detector test.

All of this clicked for me. I have always been hyperactive reactive and would startle easily (many jokes in my life on watching me jump) and when upset, my whole chest and neck would radiate red (I realize everyone’s does this to one degree or another, but mine was on the extreme end). I haven't been in physical danger since the abuse stopped. I haven't had the "crisis management" style of living that lead to the skin turning colors lately.... but now it's manifested in this stage of my happily-married and steady life into heart palpitations.

What did the doctor do? He told me to deal with my stress. I am so glad he didn't try to put me on meds, or send me to get a bazillion more tests done! But I am learning a valuable lesson about dealing head on with what's bothering me and in finding effective ways of coping with what stress does to my body.

I have billing to get out today, so I can’t spend as much time lingering on an update as I would like. I will be back though. Thank you to all of you who read my blog and said a prayer or helpful thoughts in my direction.

I will leave you with one cool thing I saw this morning. A robin has found a patch of dead grass near our house (the spot where the concrete steps sat, until the cement patio outside our back door got laid). Well it’s been coming back and forth grabbing hunks of the grass to build it’s nest. It was very cool to point it out to the girls and share a very girly “Aww” moment.

I hope your day is going well, reader. Thank you for taking time to spend some of it with me today.

the NoteBored

Hey all, sorry I haven’t put anything up in a while. Been busy writing and playing in my personal playground, The NoteBored. You are welcome to stop by and see what I have been up to by clicking here: http://rittinger.admiralxp.com/index.php and seeing the new collaborative project of the “Market” forum. If any of you who troll through from Blog Explosion, Blogazoo or Blog Clicker are writers, trying to get published, and you are looking for a place to pool your resources, then you have found the jackpot!

I run a peer-review, writers workshop. You’re invited to the party!

Some things to know about The NoteBored:
1. It’s a moderated, family friendly forum with all the adult content behind a hidden forum, accessible only through a private message to me (Deanna) in order to open it up.
2. It’s password protected to insure that your first publications rights are still intact should you want to publish anything you submit for review. That means that you need to register if you want to see any of the forums that are behind the Front Porch.
3. If you participate in the Writer’s Workshop, you must also do your share of reviews. We will sport you the first one free, after that, return reviews for the ones you get. This keeps the boards active and fair.
4. If you don’t like to write and would rather just have a place to shoot the breeze, we have forums for that too. We have current events, debates, tech and gaming talk … or simple rambling. All are welcome.

Come and join us! I look forward to meeting you!

I know someone famous!

If you go here:
SciFi.com

You will see the latest news on a man I went to Highschool with. David Goyer. He was a few years older than I and won't likely remember me, but darn, how cool is that?

We were in the same drama group and he was with the cool crowd... he certainly made good, didn't he?

The appointment is set

The appointment is set

Okay, I did it. I called my doctor and made the appointment. It’s for the 14th. I still think that my troubles are from the caffeine I have been drinking.

You see, caffeine is a diuretic. Diuretics drain your body of potassium. Loss of potassium is what causes the heart galloping. The potassium is the element in your system that conducts the electrical impulses, the electrolytes. Your heart is governed by the electrical impulses that cause it to contract.

(This is of course based on what I have read, and not from what a doctor has told me.)


But a very dear friend of mine demanded that I “verify” that that was the case.

My husband ratted me out to his co-worker and my good friend, and she also asked if I’d set the appointment. So… there you have it. I am glad I said something, because my first inclination was to not say anything at all. Partly out of fear of what they’d say, partly out of dread of the doctor visits and tests that they’d run. I feel my heart squeezing even now at the thought of the cost.

If I had figured out what my problem was, and weaned myself off the caffeine before I had mentioned it to Bill (or here in my blog) then I would have avoided this whole thing.

Ah well. One day at a time and all that. I won’t go shopping for tomorrows worries. The ones that live in “today” are plenty to keep me stressed.




On to other things, I have two flash challenges I am going to try to submit for today (flash being that you are given a topic or a prompt and then you spend an hour or so writing a short story – Fun!).

They will have to wait for naptime though. Spring break means my own kids are here and the daycare kids. Too many interruptions to be productive, plus, a gal has to have her priorities in the right spot… play after the responsibilities are done.

Spring Break

This is spring break for my kids and I just haven’t been in front of the computer as much this week. So if you have been wondering where I am, well there you go.

Yesterday we went to the zoo, three other mothers and me. This group had large families like I do. Now, I like the zoo. I like that you can spend a day in the sunshine, get pictures of the kids, frozen moments in time. But almost always, someone gets lost. Never for long, usually it’s because one child or another either ran on to the next exhibit in their enthusiasm or assumed with the group when we did move on. Always we have a near scare. I started to hyperventilate when I added it up and realized that there were 18 children. In fact, if you had told me that I could go to the zoo with 18 children and not loose anyone AND have a great time I would’a said you were nuts. But we did have a wonderful time… and I did get some fun pictures.

On another note, I have been having some health issues that have started to concern me. In the past, I have had heart palpitations or irregularities. It’s like my heart would stumble around for a few beats, find it’s rhythm again and then would be fine. It never hurt, it always passed and then I wouldn’t have an episode again for a long while.

This month, it’s been happening every day. Usually there wasn’t any pain, just that curious sensation of stumbling or speeding up, short of breath, like I’d been running when I was just sitting there. Occasionally in this last month, I would get a tightness or pressure in my chest, usually during stressful situations. At this, I told my husband about them. He was worried and told me to see a doctor. I haven’t yet. I am chicken and afraid of what they will say. It’s easier to say “I have daycare kids coming.” Of course, I just blocked out a day to take my own kids to the zoo, shouldn’t this heart thingy be more important?

Ya think?

Now ask me if I have done it yet.

*sigh*

I did look up my symptoms in this big medical book and I think I may be reacting to too much caffeine. So, I am going to lay off the coffee and diet coke, eat more bananas for my electrolytes, and see if that makes a difference.

Point Of View Pick of the Month *March*

I admit, I blog surf. Some people channel surf when they are bored, I blog surf. I have come across one that I adore!

This gets the Point of View Pick of the month:
http://thompsonclan6.typepad.com/thompsonclan6/

It’s called “This Full House” and the lady who writes it has a wonderful sense of humor. Please, click the link above and find out for yourself why she is my pick of the month.

*My sides hurt from laughing so much!*

Horizons

Ah well, Smokelong Quarterly sent me a rejection notice.

Smokelong Quarterly is a higher tier of mag (for my ability) to send it out to. I send stuff to the higher rungs first, collect the rejection notices and then go to the next level. The thing I need to remember though, is that my name and my stories are going under their nose fairly often. I will keep trying and in that process, hopefully, develop a kind of relationship based on the quality of stuff I am sending them. One day, they will see my name and say to themselves “Oh look who sent us something again! I wonder where she will take me today.”

This isn't a slam on the other pubs out there. It's more about circulation, and which mags the agents pick through in looking at new talent.

In a fit of optimism yesterday, I sent a production company my story that's in the November 7th issue of Ultraverse.us. They are a brand new company producing their first DVD, sort of a portfolio, really. They were looking for a short sci fi script that they could use to highlight their talent, and attract bigger investors.

If they like the short story, I would then become a student of the art of writing a screenplay and adapt it into that format for them. A learning experience for all.

I have yet to hear from them. They may say that it’s not a good fit for what they are trying to do. And if they do, that’s okay. Know why?

Because yesterday, I dared to dream my horizons bigger than the were the day before.

THAT makes me near giddy.

Okay, I know I am a strange sort of person. It’s a good thing people like me anyway.

Real Job / Side Job

My “Real” job:

Today, I had one parent bring me hot flavored tea (yum) and another parent bring me cupcakes… (double yum!) Yeah, today is a good day… perks and everything.

I had three new clients sent to me by the gym across the street (moms who are looking for care for their little ones so that they can get some exercise in) and so, I sent them flowers for the referrals.

They called me today to say thank you for the flowers and to let me know that they need more fliers (wahoo!). Soon, I will have my new logo finished, and I will take the template over to the nearby printers and have a bunch made up… along with a nifty new stand to rest them in.

My side job (that makes no money yet):

I sent out two stories to 5 publishers yesterday. It’s called sim subbing, and all the ones I sent it to said they don’t mind simultaneous submissions in their writer’s guidelines. Cool.

I have three stories I need to review yet, two stories of my own I need to edit and progress I need to make on my novel (I will get it finished one day, I swear it). In between that is the normal daycare, housework, and then my own family I need to take care of (which includes yet another three loads of laundry *sigh*).

I need this fantasy life I have built with my writing. I need to immerse myself in a land of make believe where anything can happen. My life has so many “have to’s” just like everyone else in the world does, that the chance to make “something” be anything I want it to be, is a real ego lift.

I also need the time of editing, that sharpens my mind and stretches my abilities. I desperately need to feel like I am growing and not going stagnant. I need to see that growth in measurable increments. That’s why I send those stories out to get published. I need to know that I am getting better, that more and more of what I write is getting accepted.

I do this because I need to grow. It’s that or die.


Well, nap time will soon be over, I need to go switch the laundry over and see if I can get to any of those reviews before the kiddos wake up, or mine come home from school.

I hope your day is being productive, visitor. Thanks for stopping in and checking out how my day went.

Much better! I put the "home drawn" picture back up behind the tank afterward. 

She's looking at me!! This is our kitty thinking about lunch before I cleaned the tank. 

It's 6:15 pm and the sun is STILL shining!

It's painting a beautiful orange light on the buildings and the tips of the bare stalks of weeds in the field behind me.

I just wanted to share my happiness that spring is coming - no matter the freezing temps!

I have to admit that it was weird to shovel the driveway last week to the sound of birds chirping... but the mourning doves have returned and they sit on the swingset outside, grooming and fluffing each other to insulate for the cold.

Happy Almost-Spring!! 

I just downloaded the Picasa software to go along with the "hello" software, and I love it! I am still learning all the ins and outs of it, but it merges with Gmail and my outlook to send photo's online, it will allow IM sharing of photos with those who also have downloaded "hello" software and it will publish your photos straight to your blog with a single touch of the button. The picasa software will allow you to edit the pictures and creat collages like this one. This software seems to be fairly simple to operate, intuitive in nature and nice rounded XP style buttons. I will post more when i discover more, but so far, this has my vote as a "must have" if you like to share photos with friends and family via E-Mail, IM or with a blog. 

A view from the laundry room

Items found in the laundry today:
1 Barbie shoe (Is there a Barbie Highway somewhere that has only one shoe on the side of the road? I found the other one then. Maybe Barbie’s mom wonders what happens to lone socks in HER drier. If so, I know where THOSE end up too! *smirk*

2. Two Dimes (Any cash I find I find, I keep. Call it a service fee.)

3. One shredded tissue (Yep It’s cold and flue season – tiny pieces of tissue everywhere *sigh*)

4. One tube of now-melted-and-on-the-clothing-forever, red lip-gloss -- oh joy.

While folding this morning, child number 4 meets me in the laundry room.

Her: Mom, have you seen my blue shirt?

Me: Nope, until you are doing your own laundry, you are stuck wearing what ever you have that’s clean in your drawers.

(Meanwhile, I quickly calculate in my head how many years that is until she is in Jr. High school when that momentous event happens. I deflate, five more years yet – rats!)

She leaves in a slight huff and returns in a few minutes wearing child #2’s Purple turtleneck, it’s sleeves dangling past her fingertips.

Me: That is your sister’s shirt.

Her: It needs to be baggy to go with the pants, mom! (she holds up the shirt to show how low the jeans are riding)

Me: But it doesn’t belong to you!

I decide on a different tack to battle her, she is working herself into a good fight about how I always take “their side” and never let her do what she wants… it’s all there waiting just behind her eyes for me to say the right phrase to trigger it out of her mouth.

Her: Did you ask her if you could borrow it?

Got her! There is no way she can wriggle out of that one, she is forever telling me how un fair it is that the younger one raids HER dresser.

Her: No.

I nod in satisfaction that I diffused that one quickly. I resume the folding and she notices the shirt that I now have in my hand.

Her: Can I wear that instead?

I look, and lo and behold, it is one that belongs to her anyway.

Me: Sure you can.

She snatches it out of my hand and makes for the downstairs bathroom to do her quick-change. I stop her half way there.

Me: Hey! What are you going to do with the shirt you have on your back?

Old argument about clothing being left where they stand…

She bats her eyes and smiles at me in her best “innocent” pretense.

Her: I am going to give it to you, of course.

Me: Good girl. You get to live.

Autopilot

I did it again!

*sigh*

The dishes are done, the laundry has been switched over (it’s never really done, just in various states of backlog…). Four of the five kids are brushed, prayed with and down for the night (the teenager won’t let me put him down anymore – go figure). I have found the floor (I knew it was under that pile of toys, backpacks, shoes, jackets and snow pants somewhere). I did the dishes *holds wrinkly fingers to the monitor to prove it* and restocked the coffee maker with it’s magic time-to-get-up ingredients and wouldn’t you know it… instead of putting it on “auto” to brew at 6:00 am for the morning – I turned it “ON” !

ON!

Again!

I hate being on autopilot.

Well, while the coffee maker has it’s days and nights mixed up, I am settling in to do the bills. I need to catch up the checkbook, enter in the credit card charges and all that jazz. I will see if I can race the washer in it’s cycle to the music of perking coffee and finish in time to get to some reviews that have stacked up. If I can get them done, then that leaves tomorrow to do some revisions on my own stories and maybe, just maybe I can shoo off another story or two to gather rejection notices like it were building it’s very own spring nest.

Somebody remind me to get the garbage out to the curb tomorrow morning? I seem to be in autopilot and with my luck I will forget.

I just downloaded the "Hello" software (this program helps to insert and automatically size your pictures). I ended up publishing this post accidentally the first time, and discovered that I can go back (using the same program) and edit it. So, that's what I have done.

Also, I spent the morning (until driven from the keyboard with a headache) sorting all the links along the side. Hopefully they will make more sense now. I have registered with several blogging catalogs and search engines today... lets just hope they don't sell my e-mail addy... hummm?

Now that I have figured out how to format this template a little better, expect me to share some more photos. *eyebrows wriggle*

Well, must go for now. I have errands to run and kids to get places. Talk to you all again tomorrow!

Flashing all afternoon!

Today was awesome! I spent the afternoon “flashing”, no it’s not what it sounds like.

It’s where someone gives a topic and then you spend the next hour blasting past your internal editors and spitting a story out onto paper. Afterwards, there is the commenting time when all who played along also give you an on the spot crit. First gut reactions on what worked and what didn’t.

Rarely do you get something that you want to do a quick clean up and send off to an editor, though it does happen.

Usually, when you are done, you have the start of something or the seed of something you can go back to and rewrite. The thrill of it of course is that everyone is doing it at the same time. You get instant feedback and know right away if you have written something that is going to make connections with people.

I am hopelessly addicted to this style of writing.

It allows me to write stories that are bite sized and refine them, making me a better writer; while still giving me a finished product that I can usher out the door and see if it can be published. I have had some success at this so far, and I am encouraged.

One day, I plan to finish the several novels that hide in my hindbrain and live half-lives in various states of done-ness on my hard drive.

So much to write, so little time!

Long Story Short

Wahoo!!!! Lookie at what came in the mail today!!!

Dear Ms. Rittinger,

Congratulations! The editors of Long Story Short have accepted your story, A Day in the Life of a Mouse, to be published in our April issue. This will make a cute addition to our children's stories.

The newsletter and e-zine are published the 7th of each month. You can view your story, at that time.

We hope you tell your family and friends the good news. They can sign up on the home page to receive the newsletter. You've been added.

A Media Release is below to alert your local newspaper, writing groups, family/friends, etc., of your acceptance.

We look forward to receiving more of your stories.

Sincerely,

Linda Barnett-Johnson
Assistant Editor
www.LongStoryShort.us



I am so excited I can barely contain myself! That makes two stories I have in the published world. The other being at Ultraverse.us November 7th Issue.

I will be walking on clouds all day long now.

Please, no one burst my bubble, let this moment be full and complete. Real life will invade and the daily grind will go on, but for this perfect moment, I want to bask in it.

*happy, satisfied smile*

All things to all people

All things to all people

It’s hard to be all things to all people when you are working with youth. Not all parents appreciate the same things or the same formats. Some people, in an effort to be “Helpful” will tell you all the things they think you are doing wrong.

Sometimes they are right and you must change your outlook, routine or structure to account for it. For those people, I say BLESS YOU! Feedback serves to make you stronger and improve the quality of what you are doing in your ministry.

Sometimes they aren’t though. Sometimes they are mean in their well meaning.When you take someone’s advice to heart when they may mean well, but don’t see the whole picture or carry your vision, all it serves to do is undermine your self-esteem or confidence.

Lets, just say that I had a very rough weekend. One that made me want to turn tail, runaway and hide inside myself. I was crushed, working my way into a full blown, wallow-in-it, full-bodied depression. I went home from church, and sat staring into space until I had to nap … my soul felt too heavy for my body and I retreated into sleep for anesthesia.

The funny thing is that what brought me “out of it” was talking to the other youth leaders in my Jr. High group. We needed to reinforce with each other that we aren’t perfect, we are still learning, and yes, we had room for improvement. Always, this will be true. What ever else though, we also needed to remember that letting those comments sink in too far would cripple our confidence and ability to lead. Second-guessing yourself for everything simply is defeating and counter productive.

So, I pick up my feet, put my foot down, and move forward. Praying the whole time, that I am able to let God be seen through my faults and shortcomings. I am not perfect, I fail, I fall down. But God gets the glory, because darn it, that’s why I need him so much in the first place. I will never be perfect enough, pretty enough, strong or smart enough to do all the things set before me.

Funny Voice Mail

I stumbled across this hilarious link in a forum I am a member of. You have to hear it to believe it!

http://members.cox.net/patcovington/funnyvoicemail%20-%20Mar%2003,%202005%2021.29.35.wav

It is a wav file of a voice mail, that has a man describing the scene of an accident he just witnessed on his cell phone. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but it’s funny, not tragic.

Warning: if you are a dialup user, it takes a while to buffer into your system, so be patient. I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard!

Cheerleading

Cheerleading

I have found that everything gets done easier when someone you love is watching you do a hard task.

“Look at me Miss Dee” they respond to me as they are finding the floor. I cheer with wild abandon and they rush around the room picking up the toys to keep me clapping. If my attention waivers, they call for me to look again until they are done.

It astounds me how powerful ATTENTION is, when given to you without reservation or distraction. When I nag, they point fingers and tell me how this person or that person isn’t helping them clean. My girls do it all the time too, for they share a bedroom.

But if I stand over them with praise, if I point out this or that as they start collecting things off the floor, they are given invisible motivation that sustains them through the yucky part of playing – the clean up afterwards.

I am like that in my relationship with my Heavenly Father. The bible tells me that He knows the number hairs on my head. His attention does not falter or become distracted, he knows what I do and usually, his attention is positive on me. Cleaning the toilets for my family who do not appreciate or even think about this service doesn’t motivate me. In fact, I get rather resentful and grumpy about it! But when I view this service in terms of caring for the ones I love my helping to make sure they don’t get sick with nasty germs, my load is lightened.

My attitudes are so darn subjective!

I think that is what makes prayer so valuable to me, it puts me in the right relationship with God. When I am talking to him intimately (‘cause that’s what prayer is to me) I am reminded over and over again of His overwhelming love for me, and how, like a child, he showers me with attention. His love swells inside me as something that I can’t contain, like a sponge filled too full; it spills out into every relationship I have around me.

Attention.

A child teaches me today about rapt attention and it’s power.

And somehow, I am reminded that just as I cheered those animated kids on to do their best for cleaning the floor up… he cheers me on when I clean the toilets.

The Magic of Kisses

In the day care that I run, there are sometimes little bumps and boo boos that happen. Today they are cheerfully upending all the toy boxes. I have found my observations on this topic to be true for my own 5 as well though. Inevitably there are a few who trip on what they’ve spilled and need their boo boo’s kissed. Nothing serious, no blood, (Which is a shame really, because if it’s gonna hurt there aughta be Something to show for it!) and each cry or fuss according to their nature. The first-borns seem to be a bit more dramatically while the younger ones in a family seem to shake it off and move on more easily.

In both cases though, they need a kiss before they were able to move on. Who knew that there was magic in kisses? A will give a quick rub, a sympathetic hug, be someone to HEAR of their woes and remind them that they are precious… and that, all powerful, Magic Kiss.

Pow!

All is right with the world!

Yeah, …I love my job.

Sleepy

Got up this morning at 4:30 am.... a little one woke up and needed help, I couldn't get back to sleep. Now that I am tired, it's time to get the rest of the family up and moving *argh*. Day care kiddos are coming and I have a pile of laundry to do... I think I need more coffee. Yeah, coffee sounds good...

I will be back to write more once the house is in motion (well you know what I mean) and I can string more words together. Maybe trying to blog this moring was a bad idea.

Where is that coffee?

Monsters in the closet

Today, a writer friend posted a good question and I spent a fair amount of time responding to it. I am rephrasing the opening, but keeping a large portion of it in tact for posting here in my journal. Mostly because it’s something, I want to come back to. There are lots of elements here that touch on writing, most of them though, are about me and my own journey.

Her question was mainly about how far you go (sexually explicit, violent, gory or graphic) as a writer.

This below, was my response.

I wrote my first scary story recently that was outside my comfort zone mainly because it dealt with witchcraft and reincarnation, both things that as a Christian, I don't approve of. (Never mind that I have been reading fantasy since I could pick up a book and THEY contain those elements.) It was still strange to find myself telling a story that I didn't know was in me and had to argue with myself to actually hit the submit button. Silly isn't it?

That aside, I also started a romance novel, and though I have plenty of sexual tension in it, I have yet to cross the line and write a sex scene. What stops me? There is an invisible line there that says "here there be dragons". Unless one of my characters passes through a significant event contained within a sex scene that needs to be "revealed" (pardon the pun) in order to move the story forward -- I won't wrestle that dragon.

But you raise such a good point. As a writer, to create characters that explore depth and strength, there must be conflict. That's probably the biggest flaw in my first novel. Yes, I have gone back and fixed many of the grammatical errors and created plenty of tension... it's a paper tiger in that there are no real teeth in it. There IS no real jeopardy, no really bad guy to make it so important that there is a good guy. Most of my characters are flawed (and that’s good) but truly there needs to be … a nasty, mean, depraved character in there. And that means that I am going to be forced to step outside my comfort zone and dig inside the closet where I keep all those emotions.

No, I am not repressed; I just don’t like to keep those unproductive thoughts and emotions cluttering the floor of my mind. They end up controlling me. So, I use self discipline and store them on the metaphorical shelf till I have the time and inclination to deal with them again. Like anything else, if you feed something it grows, if you starve it – it dies.

I have starving monsters in there…

*shakes it off*

Yeah, great question. Just passing by the door of that closet gives me the willies.

The funny thing is that in my head, I know that those monsters can’t hurt me any more. In my head, I know that I will never be chained to those monsters that fed on me ever again. I am changed and no longer the scared child that hid from the world in between the covers of a book.

In my head.

In my heart though, I remember.

I get whelmed and either disconnect or fry my nerve endings with the memories. Too hot to touch, not enough time to sort through all the sticky ends that I need to, in order to untangle the monsters tentacles and put him back on the shelf. It’s easier to just make faces at the closed door as I pass by it saying “you have no power over me”.

And it doesn’t.

But I have not yet mastered the art of opening the closet door, turning on the light and cataloging all those emotions for the purpose of putting them on like a coat while I sit at a keyboard. It almost seems wrong unleash that evil for the purpose of entertainment. Yet, in order to make a character LIVE and breathe I must find a way to channel that and access it… or my characters are doomed to a bland life of ignominy never to transmute through a page into another’s imagination.

It’s a good question. One I need to spend more time thinking about… and open that door.

Oh to play like a child!

To my delight, my children have discovered “A Wrinkle in Time”. I found the video on sale and now my kids love reenacting scenes from it and using a “tesseract” as a method of transporting their imaginations from one place to another.

This story is the one that hooked me onto Sci Fi as a kid myself. I have been trying to get them interested in the book for a long while, but to no avail. Not until I found the video that is. My eldest has since finished all the books in the series and she drops hints to the younger ones about what happens to Meg and Charles Wallace in their future. I sit in the next room (like today) and hear them organize the game they will play. They have done it since they were tiny, taking spoons or even gummy bears and say “I will be the momma, you be the sweetheart” and off their imaginations would gallop into one fairy world after another.

My eldest is 11. She is just now over the last year or so separated herself from the younger ones to do “more grown up” things, like read books or draw for hours. But the younger ones still let their imaginations take them places that we learn to release as adults. Today even the 11 year old plays along.

I adore the way they play. I smile as I write this for now they have found a winding music box that they have inducted into their game as a prop. It’s one of those notched barrels that have tin prongs that play when you spin the handle.

Today the carpet is dry but barren of furniture. It is a wide-open place to romp. A new toy of sorts for them you could say. So while one plays the music box for sound effects to tesseract (teleport?) Two others are crawling across the floor as though they were scaling a building, I can’t help but to shake my head and be amazed at their creativity.

Right now, (after making a few posts at some boards I frequent) they are ready to go to the mall, and they are already creating a new game of spies, walkie talkies, a transistor radio, a bag of other gadgets a note pad of paper and they are set. Now they just need me to get off the computer so that I can go fulfill a promise. One week of clean bedrooms, and they get a treat – in this case a trip to the local mall to play in the kiddie corral. (see the entry about redoing the chore charts) They will duck behind and under the foam climbable sculptures while playing hide and seek. I will sit along the edges with the numbers of other parents waiting for family members to finish shopping while they pull kid watching duty.

Fun will be had by all.

Bye for now.

Still more plates spinning in the air

Yesterday I spent the larger part of the day online doing research. I was researching property for a business venture with a friend of mine. (More news on that when it’s … well, more than just talk.)

Researching for hand held UV sanitizer. You would not believe how hard it is to keep all the toys clean to prevent cross pollination of germs! This has been such a hard hard year for sickness in our community. I am also thinking about buying one of those air purifier units that pass the air through a UV beam to kill air-born germs. Those are very expensive though.

Researching for storage containers for the toys… something besides toy boxes that swallow the little toys to the bottom to never be seen again.

Carpet cleaning today in a few hours, so I need to get off the computer in a few minutes to get as much stuff out of the rooms as I can before the professional carpet-cleaning guy comes over. This is to help stay in compliance with my licensing report.

I am so excited! I got invited to a writer’s networking party! I have never been to one before and I am a little nervous about what to expect. Should I bring stuff I have written? Would that be presumptuous? *sigh* I need to call the lady and find out more details when I am not buried in children.

This of course means that I will need to find a sitter on short notice. While that sounds easy enough, no one looks at watching as many kids as I have without thinking about it hard.

*grin* We had pizza again last night after running loops all evening going to tutor’s and piano lessons. Thursdays are always a zoo. But it begs the question… just how many times can you have pizza before a kid rebels? “The world may never know,” to quote a tootsie pop commercial.

Slowly, I am catching up on reviews. I wish it wasn’t taking so long, but I am juggling so much these days that it’s sometimes either; let them wait, or just not participate at all. And I love the writing communities I am part of way too much to stop altogether. I am a glutton for punishment. That’s all I can say.

Well, my kids are moving my living room furniture out into the garage without me… they seem more excited about the carpet guy coming than I do. I need to help supervise and keep them from gouging holes in the walls on their way out.

I will write more later.

Tootles!

A view from my shoes

Well, today was a big day for me. Today I tweaked my ideas for a new ad campaign for my business. I created a brochure for near-by businesses to consider leaving my card on their countertop. Since I operate a drop in day care, the village is the perfect place to target my services. This way, parents can leave their kids with me while they do their errands, shopping, visit the gym, get their hair done… whatever. Provided they register with me, and I have space available, this is a win-win situation for all concerned. I need clientele; proprietors need stress-free patrons, parents sometimes need short-term, short-notice, child care.

Also, I sent out another story (A day in the life of a mouse) to Long Story Short, Magazine to see if it will be published or rejected, and if rejected, sent out again to other markets while I keep writing other things. Sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated, but this is something I really want to do with my life, and it seems that I tend to use this journal to rant about it. I don’t know weather to apologize for it or not. It’s good for helping me keep track of what I am doing and all, but it must be a bore to read with every entry.

Oh! And I am so proud of myself… I actually got up early (thanks to a call from a friend), and exercised! If I can, I’d like to keep that going! (honestly though, do you know absolutely any woman who doesn’t wish to be a smaller size?)

Yesterday, I created newsletter templates for all the church functions I am part of (that was fun!) and in between all of this, of course, I am a full time mother. Which reminds me… what will I cook for dinner? Pardon me while I run to the basement to check the freezer…

Frozen Pizza Wins! (My children will be thrilled to hear this actually) But it’s been a long day now that the day care kiddos are gone and I just don’t feel like cooking.

Well, that was a view from my shoes for the day, I hope yours is going as well as mine.

Spread Thin

Today was another snow day. All last night we had freezing rain. The thick glaze coated the cars, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are downed wires or broken branches. Last night I knew they would cancel due to weather. And I was right.

The funny thing is that by 8:00am the temperature warmed right up and the snow is melting. I had to call the school a second time to see if they said “na, just fooling, school’s back on.” I think the awakening of spring is glorious and surprising and…wonderful. *smile* The best part is that I get to keep my kids with me all day long, and I like that. It means of course that the day will be full of interruptions and busy… hardly a good day for getting any serious writing done, but I should be used to that by now.

I have an idea for a book. Okay, yes, I know I have several started and none finished, so I have one more to add to the pile. All the writing books tell you to write about what you know. So, I took their advice. I am writing about something I know intimately. Laundry. This will have a spin on it though. It will be an inspirational devotional, which uses laundry as the metaphor for spiritual growth. *giggles* I can imagine what you must be thinking, and you might be right, it might not fly. However, I have targeted it to a specific audience and it will be general enough that anyone can find humor in it. I believe that I will be able to pitch it to an editor, if I get it written. Well, I don’t know how it will turn out, but the writing of it will be fun for me. Can I finish it? Can I finish the mail order bride novel I started? How about the young adult story I started over 10 years ago? Am I forever doomed to only finishing “flash” stories? All of these are good questions.

Well, while I am exposing my self-doubt here, why don’t I also toss in a confession of not feeling like I am doing any one thing well? I have found that I have spread myself very thin in terms of writing communities. It’s coming back to bite me on the butt and I am not finishing reviews that I said I would do. I have people who have been waiting for way longer than they should have to. *sigh* I lock myself into these timed, due-date-driven flash challenges and then there is no flex room to allow the other parts of my life to swell. I juggle so many responsibilities, especially during busy season, and occasionally, I have to let one of the balls drop. Sometimes those balls are made of rubber and they bounce… Sometimes they don’t. I like to say “yes”. So I say yes far more often than I should on some things. Especially on things that lie within my passions.

Speaking of passions, yesterday I printed out fresh pictures of my kids and put them on the wall. They turned out soooo well! I am pleased with how my skills in photography are coming along. The day before yesterday my son celebrated Valentines day with his girlfriend. He asked me to take some pictures of the table he set with the good china, the flowers he bought and the candle burning in the center. The lighting was tricky because the digital camera I have is automatic. That just means that it has preset selections on it’s aperture. So I am learning to monkey with the settings. I am able to capture pictures now that I never would have been able to before. It gives me a great thrill and I can see my improvement daily on the screen when I download and print the pictures from the camera. Pathetic aren’t I?

I have a guilty confession, I have another passion. Movies. I buy them cheep and have a huge collection. I could almost run my own rental business.


I spent the afternoon reworking a chore chart and establishing a series of short-term goals for the girls. We already have a system of sorts, and it’s been working for a long while, but it is a simplistic system. What I did the other day merged with what they were already doing. I am hopeful that it will make a difference and for now, they are still motivated.

Of dirty desktops and busy days

Thursday, February 10, 2005



My desk is a mess! Post-it notes, wrappers from food ate while at my keyboard, cold cup of coffee from this morning, various sundry things I have pulled from the grip of a child and didn’t feel like walking across the house (hop gates) to put away. Receipts from paying the bills, catalogs, papers frisked from the backpacks of my children, paper scraps, a phonebook, ARGH! And underneath it? Dust. Dust that has eddied up into drifts that have started to clog computer keys, and coat a few sticky spots on my desk. I am ashamed and embarrassed. Now that I have given the world a view of it, am I sufficiently embarrassed enough to actually DO something about it?

Listen to me whine.

It’s several hours later now. I have spent the entire day running loops around town. I went to two different schools to pick up two kids to take them to the dentists office, then return them. Got home in time for day care kids that didn’t show (they are hit with the cold that’s going around) and then get son to his job. I barely catch my breath and my kids get off the bus. They are home long enough to grab a snack while I mugged them for their backpacks. Then, it’s all four of the girls in the car while we went to drop off one at the tutor’s, another to her piano lesson, drove around looking for a bathroom for the third (while the fourth one slept in the car). Once that is done we are back making the rounds for the return trip in picking them all up and drop them off at home so that they can start eating Chili for dinner (which I had cooking all day knowing that today would be a zoo). While they were eating, I ran to pick up son and drop him off in town for some band battle he wanted to go to. When I came back, it was time to start the bedtime routine, do dishes, find the floor and start the one who went to the tutor’s on her homework while we changed bed linens for the one who slept in the car. Two hours later, they are fed, clean, brushed, prayed with and finishing up homework and I realize that Bill still won’t be home for another several hours.

In years past, I would spend a great deal of time in instant messaging with friends in order to get past this lonely time of year. But the Day care is keeping me busy, too busy to sit and chat. The kids are spending a great deal of time in the car in the evenings (something new this year), and I realize just how tired and lonely I am when the girls are finally down for the evening.

So, rather than crying about it and making myself feel worse, I think I will go ahead and post this, then finish the half dozen projects I have open on my (still dirty) desk top. Maybe if I am lucky, I will catch someone online and we can chat while I do that.

Thanks for keeping me company while I rambled about my day.

One of those days

One of those days.

I was supposed to get up really early (before the crack of dawn, 5:30 in the morning, early), and exercise with a friend of mine. She was going to get up, drive over here and work out with me. With the day care that I run, and needing to get my own family up and moving, my mornings are just packed. The only way to get any personal time in is to get up insanely early.

Anyway, I didn’t make it. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail I sent her this morning:

Confession:
I woke up at 6:15 in a flushed panic that left an afterglow of guilt. I set three alarm clocks each with graduated times of "wake up". The one beside me was set for 5am and was designed so that I would be out of the deepest part of sleep, even if I hit the off button by reflex.

The second alarm was the, "Your now out of bed to have to answer this, so you might as well get dressed." Silly me, that alarm was the cell phone, one I haven't tested yet. I still don't know if Bill set it right or what was wrong. I suspect that he had the ringer turned off (vibrate mode) but set the alarm right.

The third alarm was the "It's now 6:15 and she's gone, so you can just go right down stairs and kill yourself with a kitchen knife" alarm. Which is of course, the one that woke me up.

Upon rushing downstairs however, I see (thanks to a light dusting of snow that blankets my neighborhood) that there are no tire tracks, nor footsteps that lead to my door. Could it be? Truly? She didn't make it? Did she oversleep too?

I won’t know the answer to this until she returns the e-mail or I work up the courage to call her and eat humble pie. *sigh*

I wonder how many calories are in humble pie…