Haiku Friday: Dreaming of Kid-Free Days

"Mommy ... Mommy ... Mom..."
How can one child bug me so?
I am school-ready!

Seventh birthday first,
one week away from today --
too tired to plan!

Love to hear him laugh,
and he's been a real trouper
on lots of long walks.

But -- I can hardly
think straight all day long with the
TV-buzz background.

Need some quiet time
so I can think about life
and what to do next.

I am so ready for school to start. DuckyBoy is too, I think. We've been into Manhattan, around our neighborhood, and he's watched a wide variety of Transformers videos (from the cartoon series to toy demos on YouTube) for about as much as any human can stand.

I'd like to make sure we get all those little "We'll do this in the summertime" things done, like visit Governors Island and ride the "NYC Ducks" land/water tour, in the next couple of weeks. But frankly, by the time I get him into bed, it's all I can do to pick which DVR'd show to watch.

As a loyal member of Bossy's Poverty Party, I've been buying school supplies on sale all summer long, so I don't have a big expense for that. And DB's all set for clothes, I think.

We've even set a budget for his party and gifts that should be easy to abide by. But making the mental effort to find what he wants, which is only available online, and order it without feeling ripped off? Exhausting!

Would you like to haiku today? To participate in Haiku Friday, just follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. It or they can be part or all of your post, but your post must include a haiku. What's a haiku, you ask? Hint: 5-7-5. More info: Click here. Or here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON'T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Please leave a comment after linking, thanks! (Eventually the Mr Linky links go away, I think, so they only way we'll find you in the future is via your comment.)

4. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top of this post.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will carry on the esteemed tradition of deleting any links without haiku!

Daughter-in-Law Duty

Since Husband was at a Guru Mastermind weekend, DuckyBoy and I spent the weekend at Grandma's for a couple of reasons.

We'd been invited to a Saturday party at Exit 68 (if you know the Long Island Expressway you know how far out east that is) and Grandma lives at Exit 63, so I thought if we drove to her house Friday we could avoid the long drive both ways with just the 2 of us.

Also, BonePa (that's grandpa -- I think it's probably spelled Bon Pa but this is how his wife and 2 grandkids spell it) was in the hospital last weekend, so I thought they might like a little help around the house.

He's done all the shopping and errands for several years now, and already last week she was saying how exhausted she was from the running around she'd had to do during his 3-day hospital stay.

He shops not only for them but also for his 105-year-old (!!) mother (BonMama) and her live-in aide. Grandma was funny talking about doing it -- "the drugstore, the grocery store, the wine store... 3 bottles of wine! And [the aide] doesn't drink! No wonder [BonMama] doesn't make any sense when she calls! Three bottles of wine! I think drinkers live longer..."

She was also hysterically funny talking about the grocery store: "I was such a fish out of water! I didn't know where anything was, and there were all these new things. I go into the cleaning aisle and there's this mop called a Swiffer, and it looks so neat, and a new thing you stick in the dryer [new from Bounce, they were at BlogHer!]... I came home with $100 worth of stuff and [BonePa] said, 'what the h*ll is all this stuff!?' and I said, 'I need all this!'"

So. Anyway. We go out Friday, and it was hot. Oh, and their a/c is broken this year, so they're hot and languid because of that too. We talk about what we can have for dinner that involves no cooking, and since they liked my chicken salad last weekend (Sunday lunch, his first day post-hospital) I suggest it again.

They were happy to let me make it, which is so unusual! Usually my FIL is bustling around the kitchen fussing with side dishes and condiments, setting the table, grilling, and so on. So I knew it was good to be there when they let me. I think I set the table, too!

They'd bought steaks for Saturday night, which were delicious.

I cut up the rest of an Edible Arrangements basket they had, and made a fruit salad for dessert (thanks for the lemon yogurt idea, Nanc!).

Sunday after church I made Mom and DuckyBoy go to the Sunday School beach picnic, just 'cause I like the beach. Afterwards Mom was wiped out and when she mentioned to her husband that she was thinking suasage on teh grill for dinner, I asked "Sweet or hot" and said I thought I'd go pick up a few things at the store so I'd get it.

She sat back with a "whew," and said, "That would be nice."

So that made me feel good.

I was hesitant to empty the garbage bag -- was afraid that'd be crossing the line and I'd get a "That's ridiculous!" comment.

Nobody said a word.

So I did it again before we left Sunday night.

I felt like I'd done the right thing. Oh, and we enjoyed the party too!

Haiku Friday: Heatwave

Heat soaks into skin
shirt clings like jealous lover
a/c huffs and puffs

Would you like to haiku today? To participate in Haiku Friday, just follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. It or they can be part or all of your post, but your post must include a haiku. What's a haiku, you ask? Hint: 5-7-5. More info: Click here. Or here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON'T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Please leave a comment after linking, thanks! (Eventually the Mr Linky links go away, I think, so they only way we'll find you in the future is via your comment.)

4. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top of this post.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will carry on the esteemed tradition of deleting any links without haiku!

More on Aussies Who Stole My Heart

Ok, so I'm still feeling like a hottie for my dream about Julian McMahon but meanwhile, that post got me thinking about the first Aussie I ever fell in love with, and NO, it's not Mr. "that's not a knife, this is a knife!" guy from Crocodile Dundee, ugh!!

No, my first Aussie love was Tristan Rogers *sigh* a.k.a Robert Scorpio from General Hospital way back when. Now, the guy is probably 60. Which means he was about 30 when I was 15, right? But did I care? No! Those eyes, that accent, I was smitten! I had a tiny picture of him taped next to my bed and I looked at him every night for a year. (This might actually be the same picture.) He was so dashing and mysterious and handsomely bad. The mere fact that by the end of the afternoon today I'd remembered his last name, after not even thinking about him for years, means it was burned pretty deeply into my brain!

He was the first real man I had a crush on --prior to that it was Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, who of course are men now, but were teenage boys back then.

This photo is more recent -- he got better looking as he got older, I think; then again, if he was 30 in the first picture, since I'm 44 he's gonna look like a boy to me now!

Dream Men

Ever have a hot dream you just can't tell anybody about? It's not that I couldn't literally tell someone, just that I don't have anyone to tell.

"Hey, honey, I just had a great dream about... uhhhh. never mind."

Let's just say, Julian McMahon. Was one of them. The other was a guy from my high school.

I know my dream job! I want to be a hooker* in Australia. Think about it: Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, and now McMahon too. Sounds good to me!

I haven't been able to watch nip/tuck for a couple seasons, it got too brutal. But love this guy!

The weird part of the dream was that the 2 guys in it had the names of 2 of my nephews. whatever that means.

-- * Edited, weeks later, to add: Nobody hsa said anything, but I've felt a bit guilty about this since I wrote it. Just to be sure I'm clear: It's a joke. I don't really want to be a hooker anywhere. Objectifying women, second-class citizens, the whole just-not-right thing. I love my hubby and don't intend to stray. OK, soul bared. Finis.

The Beach Spectrum

We went to the beach Monday with some friends; check out the bizarrely funny video of DB "sand swimming."

It was great to go with other people -- 2 other adults plus 3 kids. Not only was I able to enjoy going in the ocean -- did it ever feel good on a 90+ day! -- while DB stayed at the blanket with someone, but also I was able to go in the water with a little kid and watch her enjoy the waves.

My friend's youngest daughter, who's I think 4, was a little unsure about the water's edge. I asked her if she'd take my hand and just put our toes in. She readily agreed, so in we went. After standing together for a minute I sat down, still holding her hand, and soon she made up a game of sitting down when each wave came in and then standing back up. She was giggling and laughing and thoroughly enjoying herself in a way DB rarely does. (He wouldn't go in the water at all Monday.)

It made me feel good about myself that I had a good idea, to hold hands at the edge, and was able to help her feel secure enough to enjoy the experience (she was soaked by the end!). Because sometimes, a lot of sometimes, I wonder what I'm doing wrong with DB.

It was good to reminded that it's more him than me.

"Dead Pet-itis"

On Saturday Grandma gave us 2 caterpillars in a jar from her friend's garden.

Yesterday we noticed one of them, the smaller one, was not only not moving but also just lying in the dirt in his jar, kind of on his side. We let him alone for the day, wanting to make sure.

But shortly after we first saw him and I suggested he was probably dead, DuckyBoy said "I'm sick. a Sore throat maybe. I get sick when a pet dies."

I realized he was, as the saying goes, "choked up." So I explained that feeling to him, that sadness that causes a tightening of the throat.

It makes me wonder how many other little feelings I take for granted that he doesn't understand!

Later on he was repeating to himself the same phrases we said to make ourselves feel a little better when Skinny died: "He lived a good, long life." "He was a fighter." "We loved him."

Fortunately, the other caterpillar has wound himself into his cocoon and is looking fine. (That's him, Cater, in this photo, pre-crysalis.)

You're the Mother of a Boy If...

* You color-coordinate his shirts to match what he's going to eat for lunch.
* You keep a stain stick in his room, right near the hamper.
* You can name every Transformer and Cars Movie character, and describe their personalities.

What else?

Haiku Friday: Highs and Lows

Bright-eyed excitement
brought low by a look but
my feelings are mine.

I struggle to keep
my composure while I wait
for the storm to pass.

Hmm. Haiku or prose, I seem to write on the theme of "highs and lows" a lot.

Last week Sandra's haiku inspired me to try to be more evocative with my 'ku. I may always tend toward describing emotions --dare I say, "that's just me"? -- but I can take more care in evoking a feeling rather than describing, which is what I usually do.

If you're in the mood for mo' bettah 'ku than mine, Adventures in Mother Venture suggests taking a look at the blog Haiku by Two, wherein 2 friends reconnect by taking turns writing haiku every day. Sweet! Thanks, AMV! (I may tell them about our little meme and see if they want to play with us too.)

Have a great August weekend, and 'ku to you!

Would you like to haiku today? To participate in Haiku Friday, just follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. It or they can be part or all of your post, but your post must include a haiku. What's a haiku, you ask? Hint: 5-7-5. More info: Click here. Or here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON'T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Please leave a comment after linking, thanks! (Eventually the Mr Linky links go away, I think, so they only way we'll find you in the future is via your comment.)

4. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top of this post.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will carry on the esteemed tradition of deleting any links without haiku!

BlogHer 09, The Overview

I took the official post-BlogHer '09 survey yesterday, so I guess it's time to stop fooling around and post my thoughts.

Honestly, they're so many and varied, I'm afraid I'll bore and/or overwhelm myself by posting them. And I haven't yet had a brilliant idea for breaking them up.

And that's no fun!

I had an epiphany while doing the survey, though. I had to choose how I felt about the conference overall, and realized that overall, my experience was more positive than negative. Until that moment, I honestly wasn't sure how I felt.

I'd expected more of a content focus, more how-to, especially in the ideas-for-how-to-monetize area. Perhaps I simply attended the wrong sessions. At one point I felt I had to pick either the Expo OR the afternoon sessions, and rereading the titles perhaps that was where I missed out. I really enjoyed the Expo, though!

There was something about BlogHer that I’m having trouble describing. It was a taste of another world, a glimpse of another life … a chance to just talk and connect with other women, a time to not be isolated.

I felt important to fellow bloggers and to the sponsors just for being who I am, in a way that being at home just doesn't give me.

I'm going to break up my specific impressions into different posts by day -- as much for me to remember as for anyone else to read it. But if you do read them, I hope you'll get a glimpse of how fun it was to be part of that community in person, however brief it was.

I may not go every year in the future, but next year's an easy yes since it's in NYC, yay!

Welcome to Haiku Friday!

It's Haiku Friday!
I'm delighted to host for
Christina this week.

I could never do
her new job in L-and-D
but I can do this!

Lots have offered help ...
whoops, it's Friday already?
Let's start this party!

**These are the random 'kus I was going to post this week before I was hosting:

Little hamster girl
running in your wheel so fast
you make me smile so.

When my father swore
it was always "ga-DAM-mit!"
Now that makes me laugh.



To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. It or they can be part or all of your post, but your post must include a haiku. What's a haiku, you ask? Hint: 5-7-5. More info: Click here. Or here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your main blog URL). DON'T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, please let me know.

3. Please leave a comment after linking, thanks!

4. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top of this post.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! I will carry on the esteemed tradition of deleting any links without haiku!

Where the H*ll Did All This Shame Come From?

While Husband and I were having our regularly scheduled chat with a professional friend this week, I discovered that I feel very ashamed at not being able to figure out what I want to do with my life. It was amazing how much better it felt just to have someone --practically anyone! -- tell me that it's OK, normal, to need time to figure it out. What a concept!

And of course my father's voice pipes up then -- steps to the microphone at the Everybody Committee meeting, as it were -- and intones, "There is no figure it out, just do."

Yeah.

Which brings us to BlogHer '09, and the post I've been putting off for over a week. I've been having trouble articulating how I feel about BlogHer, because like many attendees --as the posts about the conference I've read so far indicate-- I have a mix of delight and disappointment, good and bad.

I had high hopes for coming away from it with a Plan. MY Plan. A way to move forward in a way that would be monetarily fulfilling and personally gratifying.

Holy Grail, anyone? OK, so I'm a dreamer. And just when I thought I didn't have any dreams!

But I didn't get anything that specific from the weekend. Lots of good contacts and ideas. But I feel even further away from Getting Anything Done (see Dad's voice, above) than before.

Which makes me feel like I have to run faster and succeed quicker and better.

Which just makes me tired and want to surf the web and watch TV.

Hence the lack of a BlogHer post or any pictures up yet.

That was very helpful, thank you for listening! Your check for this session will be in the mail!

Autismus Prime

It makes total sense to me that DuckyBoy has taken to the characters of the Transformers, especially now that we've discovered the animated series on Cartoon Network.

Robots that turn into vehicles? Just his thing! Coupled with the fact that, in the animated series, the robots are trying to figure out the customs and norms of life on earth, just as he is.

He's been enchanted by the whole idea for at least 2 years -- his Optimus Prime costume is headed into its 3rd Halloween season (and getting a lot of play right now as well!).