Sparks and Butterflies Sparks and Butterflies Caffeine from above ~ Coffee from below.... I'd sure like some dull! 
Articles
Rough Seas
2009-04-20 19:42:00 It’s rough right now. I don’t deny it. Cobra sucks. Sucks the life right outta you. For example. The bill I JUST received is about $1500. Except that was for March and April. Which means that our insurance thinks we’re still uninsured, because they require ANOTHER 30 days to process. It’s all a stupid pay out of pocket and someday get paid back system. Plus, we qualify for a 65% reduction per the recovery act. Great! Good luck applying for it. The application notice says to do it online. Online it says to mail it. I’ve been on hold for the last hour (currently on speaker phone hold as I write) for 45 minutes. And counting. I wanted to get Poe’s teeth fixed in preparation for potential interviews. Except I can’t find a dentist on our insurance, because according to them we’re not insured, and therefore can’t use the “find a dentist” feature. Except that I paid premiums for the last 2 months. I.hate.this.... More About: Seas
Ms. Maddie
2009-04-14 17:42:00 The background here has been purpleized. So has my twitter background. It will remain that way for the rest of April. In honor of Maddie . Today… I’ll be making my way to a chapel where a mom and dad say goodbye to their little girl. There are no words. Not because I can’t express them, but because there simply aren’t any. There is no turn of phrase or sentence to encompass what the loss of a child is. So. I’ll go. I’ll wear purple. I’ll lend my presence in support of these parents. I’ll say goodbye to a little girl that I never met, but who’s eyes have enchanted me for the last year. I’ll say I’m sorry to her mother, who I work with. I’ll cry. I’ll mean it. I’ll be there for the little girl’s mom in the coming year. Goodbye Maddie. You are loved. You are missed.
Feeling Sad and Restless
2009-04-13 17:35:00 Things are feeling a little out of control for me. Honestly part of it is my house. Because of the lack of employment around here there are people here. Always. And the house shows it. And when my surroundings are disorganized so is my head. I’m restless. I’m in limbo. And I hate that. And I’m sad. There have been two child deaths in the last week. Maddie Spohr from The Spohrs are Multiplying, and Thalon Myers from Gorillabuns. Just babies. Little babies. Gone. I work with Maddie’s mom, Heather, on Blog Nosh and will be attending her services tomorrow. I never knew about Gorrilabuns until today. On the one hand I’m just so saddened for these families. For these mothers. Moms. Families. Torn and hurt. On the other hand, I feel a strange sense of foreboding. I suppose that’s normal. Normal to be afraid of the dark. Helplessness. You want to help, but only have platitudes at your disposal. I’ve done what I can. It&rsqu... More About: Restless , Feeling
Monday Rundown
2009-04-13 17:25:00 I’ve decided on Monday ’s to do a basic rundown of what I’ve done online in the previous week, if anything, so I’m not pointing it all out every entry, but I’m still letting you know what’s going on for me. I landed a ghostwriting gig for parts of an ebook that’s WoW related, so that’s kind of cool. I’m done with the project, but that may lead to a WoW blogging position. I highlighted Yom Kippur Reflections on Blog Nosh. Anna T. is a sweet soul, and I was excited to be able to highlight a mainly unknown blogger. I highlighted Haagen-Dazs Five on Butterviews. Not a product review per se, but the one tried is damn good. I highlighted the Hunger Pledge on Butterviews. They were my sponsor for SxSW. A very good cause, with many ways to contribute - and not all financial. I reviewed Yanni Voices for the One2One Network on Butterviews. I reviewed the Ballas Hough Band for the One2One Network on Butterviews. More About: Rundown
Thank You for Your Support
2009-04-03 17:16:00 Thank you so much for all your comments on that last post. It’s hard and you get that and know what I’m talking about. And there were no trolls or judgment. Thank you for that. As far as that situation goes, we had his therapist come to the house and they took a walk. He’s fine now. Of course - he released it all. We are definitely having him evaluated for anti-anxiety medication though. We’ve been dealing with all of this since his birth, but with doctors and all involved we’ve been dealing with it for 4 years. This is the first time we’ve felt that medication might be appropriate for him. It’s a scary step for us. Spring break is next week, a much needed break for us all. I say, starting the week after next, we all get a do-over. More About: Support
Special Needs Parenting Sucks
2009-04-01 17:55:00 Disclaimer: I love my boys. I love both of them with all my heart and soul. That being said… I HATE being a special needs parent. I hate dealing with their issues. I hate how it drains me after an incident. I hate the feeling of helplessness as I watch my son fall under the influence of his anger. I hate all the appointments. I hate all of it. All of it. Joseph is coming to an age where I need to start censoring what I write here. So I’ll just say he had one of his worst incidents yesterday. This part I can say: It resulted in a phone call while Logan, Poe, and I were at the grocery store with a full cart. Okay fine - Poe will go and leave me at the store, I’ll finish up, and he’ll come back when he’s done. Logan and I finish out shopping. We’re checking out when we get another call. I ignore it, mainly because I’m checking out, and I don’t want to be one of THOSE people. Immediately I get another call, so I take it. C... More About: Parenting , Special , Sucks , Special Needs
Another Item Off My List
2009-03-31 01:48:00 I pinked my hair. A stripe. Pink. Want proof? I love it. More About: List , Item
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
2009-03-20 17:23:00 Just a little bit of a head’s up for you the reader. And can I just say thank you, first? There are a couple of you who are faithful commenters, and I thank you for reminding me that I am not alone in the world, and perhaps not so weird. I appreciate that, I appreciate you. Thank you. Anyway - I’m going to be changing the site’s look a little bit. I don’t know when. But soon, hopefully. But it just doesn’t feel like me anymore, and I’m changing things to be more me. In a lot of areas. So, if it looks different at some point - don’t worry - I’m still here. I’ve added a list to the right hand side bar. The list will change and morph as I decide on new things to add. There is no timeline to it. There is no deadline. It’s not a list of things to accomplish before the year ends. They are just things I want to figure out and do. And once they’re done, or habits become habits, they’ll be cro...
Perspective
2009-03-20 16:43:00 Logan's Missing Front Tooth For all my recent cynical ramblings - nothing’s cuter than a 6 year old with a missing front tooth. More About: Perspective
Is this a midlife crises?
2009-03-16 02:51:00 A funny thing happened to me when I went on this trip. I think I found myself. I know that sounds strange. But I was at a place where I didn’t feel I belonged. And some things happened that made me question myself. My actual self worth. My identity. My worthiness and significance. You see I feel certain in my place in the afterlife. I know where I’m going. I know where my faith lies. But it has always been incredibly difficult to translate that into my fleshly life here on earth… My actual day to day who I am kind of life. There are a few definites for me that I know without question. I am to be, and want to be, a loving, honest, humble, helpful, resourceful wife to my husband. He is to be the same to me. I am to be a mother to my children, who teaches, corrects, meets earthly needs, leads, and loves, hugs, and kisses. I am to attempt to forward my relationship with God. That’s where all the certainty ends though, you see. The other, seemingly... More About: Midlife , Crises
Out to Lunch. In Austin.
2009-03-14 05:57:00 On a bit of a trip. I’ll be writing about it over here. More About: Lunch , Austin
Fitting Pieces Together
2009-03-11 15:32:00 I dropped a bomb and dissappeared. Mainly, I just needed to process. On the blogging front, I’m headed to SXSW this weekend, and I’ll be writing about it eventually at Butterviews. I feel like I should have backed out considering I have to pay for food - and I just dipped into the student loan payment for groceries this week. But. My sponsors took care of the big costs, and both my parents and Poe said that I need to get my business cards out there and mingle. They’re right. It just seems like the wrong time to go. Not to mention I’ll have a roommate. A perfectly nice stranger. I know of her, but have never met her. The problem lying in the fact that I’ve never ever had a hotel roommate before. My neurosis is worried. I haven’t had the time to write at Blissfully Domestic or edit at Blog Nosh. I’m afraid my bosses are going to drop me. I was on a conference call yesterday with Maria Shriver in regards to the We Connec... More About: Pieces
Welcome to the Economy
2009-02-26 01:45:00 Three posts in one day. That may be a record. Announcement: My husband, Poe as you know him here, came home today with his box of belongings in hand. Yes, he was laid off. No, there was no inkling ahead of time at all. That makes two unemployed people in the household. There have been tears. I feel myself going into fix it super project assistant mode (cue superhero theme music.) Which is good - I’m good in a crisis. But seeing as this here is my journal it seems only fair that I warn you that whining may be ahead. Also ahead, posting of Poe’s resume (hey - you never know!) and upping the marketing of Vineyard Virtual Services as well. Please be patient with me. And maybe gentle and kind as well. Things are a little raw. There’s the money, yes. But well - money’s money. The more stressful tidbit is that we have a heart patient who will have surgery in the house (Logan) and no medical insurance as of today. The ax came down hard. It s... More About: Economy
Something Fun - Family Game Night
2009-02-25 18:05:00 You know… My family doesn’t play enough. It’s true. We just don’t play together. We’re busy, and by the end of the day exhausted, and there just seems to be so much we have to do that by the time it’s the kids’ bedtime - we haven’t done anything fun as a family. Switching gears - but not really - the topic just brought this to mind - I am not Mormon. However, I have always admired the religion’s commitment to family and the proactive steps they take. I don’t know a LOT about it, but they have a tradition that I believe is called family home evening. Once a week, they are committed to spending quality time with their family. I’m not sure if it is a game night, or a Scripture study, or heck - both? But they’re focused on spending time with their families uninterrupted. I think we’re going to have to start that here at my house. One night a week doing something together. Time to Play has a ... More About: Family , Night , Game
When Children Are Ill
2009-02-25 17:37:00 Perhaps you’ve noticed that I dropped out of site for like, a week. And if you didn’t - well that’s just a blow to the ego so keep it to yourself mmmkay? I was sick a couple weeks back. And just as I was coming out of my fog and getting caught up with stuff at home and stuff at work, Logan became ill. Very ill. Picture 104 degree fever spikes, two doctor’s visits (plus copays), two prescriptions (plus copays), and lots of cold medicine and ibuprofen. For a week. Out of school. The poor kid. He had the flu, plus an eye infection, plus an ear infection. The scary thing is - he showed NO symptoms until he spiked a fever. No red eyes. No stuffy nose. No cough. No tugging on the ear - or even any pain since he’s old enough to tell me. A 104 fever at midnight is a scary proposition for any parent. Couple that with a congenital heart defect. And then couple that with the ONLY admonition the doctors have ever given you regarding sa... More About: Children
Him and Me
2009-02-19 16:17:00 I wanted to write something light hearted after that last post. Luckilly Dooce has a meme. What are your middle names? Mine is Kee, a family name. His is Joseph. How long have you been together? Our 11th anniversary is coming up in April. And that’s just about how long we’ve been together considering he asked me to marry him in three days, and we were married three months later. How long did you know each other before you started dating? A month. We were in class together. Who asked whom out? Well - I guess me. I asked to sit next to him in Church. Three days later we were engaged. How old are each of you? I’ll be 34 next month. He’s 32 - 33 in September. Whose siblings do you see the most? Neither really. Enter long convoluted family history here. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Money is one. I’m a saver, he’s a spender. We don’t have a lot of it, now that I’m home, and I have some history things...
Heavy Hearts
2009-02-19 15:30:00 There are some changes happening in my family. Mainly due to some spiritual fighting my husband is doing. That’s not really my story to tell. But it is hard for me to watch him struggle. Although I believe the changes in store for him will make him a better man, husband, and father. Plus, we watched Fireproof, and he came to me and told me to get the books. He wants to do the Love Dare with me. I was shocked. It’s not normally his thing. But we are. And there are those changes. Plus, he’s struggling at work. Basically, they changed the structure, and he’s expected to do two full time jobs - without overtime. It’s not working. We’ve talked both about how he can present the problem to his management, and also how to manage the jobs in the meantime (I administer, it’s what I do - so I’m able to help him structure things.) But he was thisclose to quitting. Which, of course, sent me into panic mode, because the b... More About: Heavy , Hearts
Blissdom - Friday
2009-02-17 20:17:00 I cannot believe I didn’t finish my blissdom updates. I’ve been really sick, and I want to catch up. So now, we’ll just have to have Friday & Saturday smushed together and just mention the highlights. I finally met Deanna. We’ve been corresponding online for years. YEARS. But I didn’t know who she was. I just stared at her, ’cause she looks just like someone from my old work. The synapses in my brain were misfiring. Anyway - she introduced herself. She thinks I’m sweet. heh. And she MIGHT be helping me with the site a little bit. A little bit of refining, let’s say. I met and saw a whole bunch of people. People that I needed to meet, that I wanted to meet, and folks who were new to me, as I didn’t follow their blogs. All of it was wonderful. I even got to squish a baby girl, which was bliss. I’m not going to list everyone - ’cause it’s DAYS later and I’ll forget someone ...
brief nosh note
2009-02-12 20:24:00 I’m currently sick as a dog. I still have to finish updating on Blissdom - which I’ll get to when I can think. I just wanted to pop in and tell you that I’ve highlighted a post at Blog Nosh. Take a look! More About: Note
Blogging Identity Crises
2009-02-07 23:12:00 I’m skipping the last Blissdom session as I’m in thought. And when I’m in thought, I get distracted. I wouldn’t get anything from the session anyway. The good news… I found out that a famous-to-me blogger reads me. And that she might be willing to hire me. Perhaps. Maybe. If we work something out - AND she wants me to guest post. Because she likes my voice. I’m not linking her because it’s not a done deal, and I don’t want to put words in her mouth - or pressure on her. But this is HUGE for me. 1) Someone who in my opinion is a success reads me. Sorry, but that gives me validation. 2) Potential new client woot! So… networking works. But the bad news… I’m in a blogging identity crises. There was a branding session. After the session I asked a couple of gals who I trust and respect, and who know both my blog and other writing, what do THEY think when they go to my blog (in terms ... More About: Blogging , Identity , Crises
blissdom - thursday
2009-02-06 19:05:00 As I got ready to go to Blissdom on Thursday , I really didn’t want to go. All my quirks and hangups about in person talking and in person meeting were coming up. I wrote a BlogHer Disclaimer last year, and I think I should have reposted it. It’s like… I LOVE these things, and I HATE these things. I love seeing my friends. I love making new contacts and new friends. I need to network for my business. But I’m not the most secure person in the world and meeting new people brings all those insecurities out in force. I was rather organized in getting ready to go. Had a last minute hiccup in that Joseph had a field trip I forgot about. Wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it meant him getting out of school a full hour later than normal. Which meant no ride to the airport, so I just made a quick Super Shuttle call. I was apprehensive, as they’ve never really been really swell in my book. BUT! Dude was there 5 minutes early - AN...
Crazy Making
2009-02-04 17:44:00 So. I leave for Blissdom tomorrow. I don’t arrive until 11:30pm. I awoke with a headache today. I still need to write up itineraries for my father and husband so neither one of them loses a child along the way. I still need to get my haircut, nails done, and pack. I need to check out my laptop (it’s not my main computer) to make sure everything’s running fine. Not to mention make a costume for my son’s play, which I’m missing, on Friday. Oh - if you want to meet up or just want to be able to get a hold of me, dm me or email me for my cell number. BREATHE. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. P.S. Joseph made the baseball team! More About: Crazy
Mrs. Pigglewiggle May Be No More
2009-01-30 20:07:00 There are a few books I remember from my childhood. Trixie Belden. Judy Blume. Encyclopedia Brown. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. The boxcar children. Little House on the Prairie. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Anne of Green Gables. All those memories. Leaving my life and enjoying theirs. All those memories came from the library. Hours and hours. Many of you have already heard about CPSCIA. You can read more about the act at the link, but the basic synopsis is - many if not most handmade children’s retailers, and thrift/secondhand retail shops will close. The act requires testing for lead. Of every.single.item used in a product, by each retailer, in every form of the item. Even if someone else, already has tested from the batch. Even if another retailer has already tested the item. So - these retailers and small homemade manufactures will have to close their doors because they simply can’t afford the testing. Think about it. If you sell a onesie...
Connections
2009-01-29 19:58:00 When I started writing online, it was 1995. The world wide web was still getting it’s feet wet in terms of making connections. There were some new people putting their Online Diaries up. I don’t even remember who the first one I stumbled upon was. Possibly Kymm in her Sweet as a Biscuit years. She’s the one I remember from those days anyway. I’ve always written a journal. From as young as I can remember with those little diaries with a tiny space per day. And a lock. And so, I started to write. I was KeeArgo on AOL. A frequenter on the chatrooms - on my 14.4 modem - the height of technology at the time. With your membership, you got some server space. So I learned basic html (the only code language at the time). I painstakingly coded every single page, and uploaded them one at a time. Don’t forget to update the archives, back, and next links too! It was a time consuming, tedious, detail oriented process. Blogs didn’... More About: Connections
Grace in Small Things - 1
2009-01-27 22:15:00 I don’t promise to do this every day, but with life as it is - I need to remind myself not to live in the negative as I so often can. 1. Mir interviewed me in regards to my business on Work it Mom! OK - that’s not so small a thing. But it’s on my mind today. 2. I’m dressed with hair done - make up - jewelry - and showered. 3. Dinner is in the crockpot. 4. No fights among the siblings this morning. 5. The cat got stuck on the top shelf only once this morning. More About: Grace , Small , Things
quick jot
2009-01-20 18:00:00 I suppose I should have something profound today. I do not. This is a historical day. That is not lost on me. Change is coming. That is not lost on me. I pray that my trepidation is unfounded. I pray that the changes, ultimately, end up being good. But for now, I just wish former President George W. Bush well in his future life with his wife. I wish President Barack Obama well in his term. I pray he has discernment and wisdom. ~ New post up at Blissfully Domestic - Speech Therapy - A Quick Look.
We have a Winner
2009-01-19 18:46:00 We have a winner for the Superbowl Party Pack! Congratulations, Maria P.! I’m sending you an email to get your address to pass on to Pepsi. Thank you to all who participated! More About: Winner
An Award!
2009-01-16 19:08:00 So. Headless Mom has passed to me an award. It’s my second in all the years I’ve been blogging, so I must say thank you. It’s always wonderful to be acknowledged. I had the pleasure of meeting Headless Mom at BlogHer last year - she was passing out headless dolls, as I recall. And she still reads me. So, I must not have made too terrible an impression! So - the award - Making Lemons out of Lemonade This award comes with a few rules: Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award. Now the hard part - Passing it on. These blogs really don’t have anything in common. Some are popular, some aren’t. Some are Christian, some aren’t. Some curse, some don’t.... More About: Award
PMS Sucks
2009-01-14 17:24:00 I’m mad today. I want to smash things. I want to tell people, like my children and husband, what I really really think in my head. This is NOT a clean room! This goes HERE like every other 4 billionth time I told you! Can you NOT unscrunch the clothes when you take them off? What is so difficult about putting the game IN THE CASE!? What is that SMELL?! Hello? Who taught you how to drive, moron! I AM NOT THE MAID. But it’s all shrieked in my head like a freakin’ banshee on PMS… wait a minute… And I check my mon.thly (aside - love that thing) calendar, and huh. I’m not particularly regular but it notes that I’m probably 1 week and 3 days away. And then I realize I’m not actually insane. Just hormonal. Don’t cross me for the next three days. ** Contest for the Super Bowl Party Pack is still open! More About: Sucks
Giveaway Time!
More articles from this author:2009-01-13 19:01:00 Ok so technically, we’re a football family. Really it’s just my husband and oldest son. But they’re part of the family, right? And quite frankly, my husband has decided until next year that football no longer exists since his team is out. But if YOUR team isn’t out - or you just plain don’t care, and love the Super Bowl… I have a giveaway for you! It’s The Ultimate Super Bowl Party Pack! It’s valued at $250 and comes complete with food and goodies! From Pepsi, Behold: • 1 football • 1 beverage pail • 1 snack helmet • 2 key chains • 2 hats • 2 t-shirts • 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons • 5 Frito Lay coupons The Pepsi peeps will send the package directly to the winner when I give them the info before The Day (Feb. 1st).. So… What do you need to know? Comment on this post. I will pick a winner via random number generation. I’ll post the winner, and I... More About: Time 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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