Thankful Thursday 7/14/11

 

My gratitude for the week, as well as a post inspired by Mama Kat! 

Plus, the purple (my fave color) envelope I used (recycled) held a very sweet pick-me-up card from my very sweet sister in law. I think I'll keep her!

Writing Workshop: My Heart Melted

 

Wow. I have not done a Mama Kat workshop, in like, FOREVER. 

I really liked some of her prompts this week, because they helped me think about some little, yet significant moments in my life. The STUFF that makes life GOOD. So here goes...

The last time my heart melted was because...my oldest daughter showed me how much she loves me and is thinking of me in that little sweet heart of hers.

                    

It was Christmas morning. The kids were giddily opening their stockings when someone realized that Santa had "forgotten" to put anything in my stocking. Oops. While Vivian, my youngest, was feeling sorry for me, Morgan said, "Mommy, there might be something in there. Look!"

To humor her, I up-ended the stocking. Into my lap fell a tiny pink crystal heart. My heart melted.

"Morgan, did you put this in my stocking? When?"

She came over and gave me a hug. "I put it there the other day, so on Christmas you would find it and have something to remember how much I love you."

And that, people, is good stuff.

Memes for Writing Inspiration

Last week I offerred links to some of my favorite crafting challenge sites. Today I have compiled some writing memes that I find fun and inspirational:

Wordzzle- create a story from a list of unrelated words
Views from Raven's Nest

Writer's Workshop- choose from various writing prompts each week; some are blog-specific, such as creating a vlog
Mama's Losin' It

I Comment Therefore I Am- creating a whole post from comments you have left on other blogs
Unknown Mami

The Poetry Bus- a different reader "takes the wheel" each week and provides the prompts
Totalfeckineejit

Random Dozen- you answer twelve random questions every week; great way to dig up some long-forgotten memories and stories
2nd Cup of Coffee

If you participate in other writing memes, we'd all love to know what they are and where to find them!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Beating Writers Block (teachstreet.com)
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Before I was a Mom

“Before I was a Mom” was a writing prompt supplied by Mama Kat.




Before I was a mom, I stayed up late and slept in on the weekends. Now I still stay up late and am up early every day.

Before I was a mom, I partied with my friends and went out dancing. Now I party with Hannah Montana and dance in my living room.

Before I was a mom, I did one load of laundry a week. Now I do about six.

Before I was a mom, a party consisted of friends, beer, music and snacks. Now a party requires weeks of planning, a theme, decorations, and goodie bags.

Before I was a mom, any clutter lying around was my own. Now I look at all the toys and kids flotsam and wonder if adults even live here.

Before I was a mom, I worried about getting concert tickets to rock shows. Now I worry about getting tickets for Disney on Ice.

Before I was a mom, I was compulsively punctual. Now “on time” means at least 15 minutes late.

Before I was a mom, “dinner out” included wine and candles. Now it includes kids meals and cheap toys.

Before I was a mom, I thought I had it all figured out. Now I know I never will.

So many changes, and on paper they all sound like I'm giving up a lot. What these changes don't reflect is the fact that my heart has grown exponentially, I have learned the virtue of patience, and a hug from chubby little arms beats a dance with a cute guy in a bar any day.

Before I was a mom, I never knew how strong love could be. Now I know the “I would jump in front of a speeding bus to save you” power of it.

Writer's Workshop: A letter to SpongeBob

Writer's Workshop: An open letter to a cartoon character.

I am angry with SpongeBob Squarepants.

Dear Mr. Squarepants:

Please leave my daughters alone. Especially Morgan. When you are not in her face and in her head, she is charming, smart and creative. When she gets fixated on one of your idiodic episodes, she mimics your antics until she is sent to the hallway by her teacher "until she can calm down".

You should know that you have been banned from our house. Any momentary relief I felt when my children would veg out in front of your show has been replaced by embarrassment (from the issues at school) and annoyance (from dinner conversation beginning with, "Mom, did you see what SpongeBob did...).

Yes, banned. It may seem harsh, and you may seem like an innocent sponge, but I know better. You are addictive and promote stupidity. Going cold-turkey was tough on my kids, I admit, but I am convinced they will be smarter and more interesting because of it.

Sincerely,

Fed Up Momma

Writer's Workshop: What's in a Name?

My first name is Rebekah, taken from the Old Testament. Here is some information I found on the internet:

REBECCA



Gender: Feminine


Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Biblical, Biblical Latin


Pronounced: rə-BEK-ə (English), re-BEK-kah (Italian) [key]


From the Hebrew name רִבְקָה (Rivqah), possibly meaning "a snare" in Hebrew, or perhaps derived from an Aramaic name. This was the name of the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century.

My sisters and I were all given Biblical names, as my mother was a religious person. I don't think the meaning of the names were a factor in her choices!

Writing Workshop: Fighting a Battle

This poem is inspired by a writing prompt at Mama’s Losin’ It. It is a reflection on living with a rare, chronic disease. Now that I read it, it seems really self-indulgent. I guess we all deserve a pity party now and then. Here's mine. For more information about Relapsing Polychondritis, please check out this article.






An army of One.


Fight the elusive disease


That may hit


With a surprise attack


Any day, any time.






An army of One.


Every day, make the choice.


Choose to be a wife, a mom.


Choose to be ME.


Not this disease.






An army of One.


Dizziness. Confusion.


Pain. Stiffness.


Ringing in my ears


Leads to madness.






An army of One.


Those that stand beside me


In battle cannot fight for me.


They watch. They worry.


They ask, How are you doing?






An army of One.


My body is the battlefield.


Each day I go to work, cook a meal,


Climb the stairs, tie my shoe


Is a victory.

Book Review: The Hour I First Believed (2008) by Wally Lamb

I know I just did a book review last week, but conveniently, when Mama Kat listed her writing workshops for this week, doing a book review was one of them!

Visit her at Mama's Losin' It.

I will admit off the bat that I am a fan of Lamb’s. If you follow Oprah’s book-reading advice, you may already be, too. The Hour I First Believed is an ambitious, tragic, hopeful story that uses our recent national crises to remind us that humans can endure much and still retain their will to make things better for themselves and others.

Caelum Quirk is our non-hero. Instead of a leading man, we get a guy who is humanly flawed (as are all the characters) and instantly recognizable as your neighbor, your co-worker, your uncle. He and his wife Maureen navigate the waters of life after a shooting at the school where they both work. You guessed it, Columbine. Other segments of the book touch on Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, giving us a backdrop of national fear and sorrow upon which to play the personal tragedies (and there are many) of the Quirks.

The sweeping themes of drug addiction, anger, prison reform, chaos theory, personal ancestry, and traumatic stress are guided by what Lamb calls “ancient myth”. We see several symbols repeated throughout the book, including candles, mazes and praying mantises. This helps the flow of the book and also aids the reader in connecting the past and present (it’s a long book- over 700 pages).

The Quirks are joined by numerous memorable characters who guide them to see beauty, help them solve mysteries, and add excitement to the monotony of a life put on hold by heartbreak and disaster. The book ends not with joy, but with at least hope. Caelum is the one who begins to believe- in what? The reader can decide some things for herself, but Lamb convinces us that we all can survive the unthinkable, many times over, even, and still rise to love, to teach, to comfort, to give.

This is a moving story filled with interesting historical insight and characters with which the reader identifies, flaws and all. Read it.

Next review: Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel

Writing Workshop: ER Visit

This Writing Workshop is brought to you by

Mama Kat at Mama's Losin' It.

This is a special Valentine's Day (2008) edition of "ER Visit", wherein Bekah is clumsy and stupid and sprains her ankle:

I was trying to be good. Trying to be nice. I was taking out the trash, for Pete's sake!

I somehow walked wrong and twisted my ankle,

falling down three cement steps outside our back door in the process.

I laid on the cold ground for a few minutes, leaking a few tears and wondering what the hell I was going to do. I was at home with the kids by myself.

I gathered myself together and crawled, quite literally, back into the house. I made it to the couch and took off my shoe and sock, as my ankle was already swelling. I have a random fear of being in an accident and the medical personnel being forced to cut off some article of clothing. Wierd, but off with the shoe.

Now, who to call? Dear hubs was out shopping and the man refuses to own a cell phone. Try Mamo. No answer. Try Mamo's cell phone. No answer. (slight panic) Call sister. No answer. Call sister's cell phone. Finally! She agrees to come wait with me and watch the kids when hubs returns and takes me to the ER.

Hubs returns and freaks a little. He's not good in medical situations. Read: I always take the kids to the doctor.  Anyway, he pulls the car into the yard so I don't have far to hop. We high-tail it to the ER, where we are greeted with a crowded waiting room full of the sick and sniffling. February, remember?

We sit forever. I try to prop my foot on a small table, but I am bumped and jostled. No good. I am in some serious pain at this point. I am really starting to think I broke something. Despite the pain, in true photo geek fashion I ask hubs to snap a few pictures. He rolls his eyes, but complies:

Finally in an examination room, my helpful nurse takes my blood pressure.

Her: Oh, this is kind of high. Someone must be in a liitle pain!

Me, out loud: Oh, just a little. (smiling weakly)

Me, on the inside, screaming with pain and frustration: No shit, Sherlock!!

Her, frowning at my ankle: I guess you need an x-ray, huh?

Me, out loud: Yes, I think so.

Me, on the inside: You must be related to Dr. House!!

After forcing me into even more painful positions for the x-ray, it is determined that my ankle is "only"severely sprained, not broken. Mr. ER Doctor informs me that "at my age" it is often better to have a break. Me, at my advanced age of 31, can't comprehend this logic. But I went on my way with a pair of crutches and called off work for the next two days.

Moral of the story: If you need a couple of days off work, fake your illness or injury!