Adventures of the 3 M's - We're back 2010

The kids and I used to go on adventures all the time! These outings were cut short last summer when I started working at
Motor Mouth's school. 

I really, really missed our Mommy, Motor Mouth & Mini Me adventures. 

Well, the 3 M's are BACK, Baby!!

We went to Museum Campus 

for a morning walk along the water before camp

Had an impromptu play date with JuJu and KiKi

(3 of the most beautiful girls ever!!)

Crazy Kids!!!

Drew on the sidewalk....

Motor Mouth's chalk Mario from Super Mario Brothers

Spinosaurus 

At the brand new playground in our neighborhood

ViVi and her brother were at the playground, too!!

Vivi and PiPi are in Motor Mouth's class at school

(PiPi was playing catch in another part of park)

Motor Mouth ran HARD the entire time

Mini Me played HARD the entire time!

Petting a puppy!

This was the CUTEST little boy! 

He ran all around following his big brother

in a diaper!!! LOL!!

Writing Workshop II - Week Three

Writing Workshop was last night. A few people were unable to attend class so I was the prescribed scribe.

Class was focused on Point-of-View and Scene. So good and interesting. We did an exercise that I really enjoyed. We had to start writing about a flood in the basement of our Oak Park home in 1st person. Then MAM switched us to 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient, omniscient, camera view, and then epistolary. It was fun to write the same continuing story in a different voice. I recommend you try it with a stop watch or timer for 2-3 minutes as MAM can't be there with you.

Homework from last week was to write a scene with at least 2 characters in conflict in 500 words or less. We paired up and critiqued each other's work. I was typing away, so I was odd person out on the pairing which meant MAM critiqued my piece. She's quite good at ripping your piece to shreds but leaving you feeling like you might win the Pulitzer. LOL!!! We also had to read 2 chapters from her book, "Bodies in Motion" of which I finally have my copy signed. To think I've owned the book for 2 years and never thought to have her autograph it for me.

Homework for this coming week:
- Write 15 min/day minimum.
- Write at least 3 scenes from a story. We will discuss structure as it relates to those scenes.
- Read 2 stories from Mary Anne Mohanraj's book 'Bodies in Motion': "Seven Cups of Water" and "A Gentle Man". These stories are highly obviously structured.

PJ Day at Camp

Yesterday was Pajamas Day at Camp

The kids picked out their PJs themselves!

Tattoo Decision

I need your help deciding on a new tattoo!!

Currently I have a tattoo on my lower back

And this one on my right foot

Please help me pick a new wrist tattoo.

OPTION 1

This has stars and curly q's like my foot tattoo. 

The size looks about right.

I would not do blue inside. Either empty or purple.

I like the size and placement of these - NOT the tattoo

I like the shading. I could get the star tattoo shaded like this.

OPTION 2

I kinda like this. 

It's simple, shows I love Jesus.

OPTION 3

Same as Option 2 but with more intricate work inside

OPTION 4

This is the center section of my back tattoo.
I could have just this portion done.

So? Which one do you think I should get?

Option 1: Stars to match my foot tattoo

or

Option 2: Simple Cross

or

Option 3: Cross with intricate work
or
Option 4: Mini back tattoo

100 Open Wounds

I put my daughter in the care of someone I had trusted. Verbal and written instructions on her basic care were provided. Basic stuff: the dermatologist said Mini Me is to ONLY have showers, NOT to have baths, especially bubble baths due to her dry skin. And to apply lotion (provided) to her skin daily.

For 3 weeks, Mini Me had been given baths ONLY. Bubble baths. And no lotion. 

When I saw Mini Me's body, I was shocked!!! Mini Me had over 100 open scratches on her torso. Wait. Let me clarify. I stopped counting when I got to 100 scratches on her chest and back. I did not count her butt, legs, or arms. Mini Me's skin was rough and dry, like course sandpaper. She was constantly scratching her itchy body with her nails.

It took 6 weeks of intense, painful, daily - often twice daily - heavy repair lotion being applied to Mini Me's skin to get rid of all of the scales, scratches, and dry skin. Mini Me still has some scars. I'm hoping they will go away eventually.

It's one thing to ignore my childcare directives (that came from a dermatologist). But when a child is clearly suffering, at some point you have to say to yourself, "Hmmm, maybe I should put some lotion on this kid and stop giving her bubble baths."

Streaming Rain

At 5:30 am this morning, I awoke to the sound of water pouring into our loft. J had placed towels in the offending areas at about 1:00 am. 

The water was not dripping when I saw it. 

It was coming down in one continuous stream - like a faucet!!

This is how much water I collected in 1 hour this morning.

So living in a converted box factory that had a flat roof is maybe not all perfect. But it sure makes for interesting blogging!!

Terrible Adoptive Mom

Mini Me's birth parents are both in prison right now. I feel a greater need to communicate with them more because they are locked up all day long. Wouldn't you want letter and photos often?

When I get busy, I don't talk to anyone who is not right in front of my face. This Spring, I went for 3-4 weeks straight without touching base with my mom or sister. Perhaps I shouldn't feel so bad for not sending letters to TT and JJ if I haven't even spoken to my own mother. Or emailed her. But still, my mother is a busy woman and clearly didn't notice the lack of contact or she would have called, right?

So, I devised this plan to send TT and JJ postcards every week. Writing letters takes a long time. Postcards are easy. I was doing great until I got back from vacation. I've fallen off the wagon. 

I need to send pictures too. The kids are growing and changing so much!! I should mention that although TT and JJ are technically, Mini Me's birth parents, our rule is that we adopt your child, but our kids are a package deal. JJ has agreed to 'be Motor Mouth's birth father' as well. Not really fair to Motor Mouth to not have a birth father. 

J is responsible for photos so maybe I should place the blame on him....

At any rate, I should stop blogging and mail out a postcard or two.

Freaky Friday - Eye on Chicago

Chicago has a new art installation

Yes, it is an eye

A big, 3-story eye

What do you think....?

Installation located at State & Van Buren
While you are there, look to your left to admire the incredible
architecture of the library building - the one with the gargoyles. 

God Help Me!!

Beautiful Mini Me

I love this little girl. 

She is sweet, funny, quirky, silly, smart, loving, crazy, beautiful.

There are days, weeks, I feel so inadequate to properly parent this being. I could not imagine parenting without J. This child comes up with new twists and turns frequently. When I think I have a handle on how to manage her, she switches the menu.

God says he doesn't give you more than you can handle, but wow, I am out of my league with this one. And she is 4. I feel like I have to do all this stuff right now, or we are going to lose her when she is a teenager. Our job is to train up this child in the way she should go but 2 people are not enough. I feel like I need a village with this one. 

Why I Blog

Why do I blog??

I blog our lives because you just can't make this crap up!! I wish I had been blogging back in the days when I caused a band of drug dealers to take off from an airport and possibly ditch their airplane because they thought we were the FBI or ATF. Or when I flew in a private jet, got picked up by 2 huge helicopters then flew back across country in a helicopter - all in 1 day. Or the time we flew in said helicopter from Tulsa to Orlando. Or the time a 60-yr old woman flashed her booby at me and J in front of our kids - 3 times!! Or the time we tracked the movements of a drug dealer using the telescopic lens on our camera. No one would believe me. 

I got a phone call this week that you would not believe.
Due to confidentiality, I cannot elaborate.
However, suffice it to say, we have mad crazy lives.

15 Minutes Per Day - The Rantings of a Mad Woman

I am in this writing class and I have committed to writing for 15 minutes each day. I should have done it this morning because right now, I don't feel like writing for 5 minutes, much less 15 minutes.

Instead of writing, I would prefer to read OPB - Other People's Blogs. Or read a book. Or do work. Or watch TV. Or do the nasty. Or anything but sit here writing for 15 minutes. Hmmm....how many more minutes do I have...?

My brain is shut off. It's only about 9:40 pm. I have so much work I should finish for my day job.
- create a customer service policy/creed for our staff
- partially design a website to see if we should go with that provider
- design the fall marketing material
- list where our new families in the last 2 years heard about us
- plan a few events - food, exciting activities, etc.,
- reorganize my files on the computer
- create about 8 wish lists now that the design has been finalized
- and a bunch of other stuff.
I don't know when I am going to fit it all in. I would like to work away from the office to get it done without any interruptions, but feel guilty for not being there in case my co-workers need assistance or a potty break.

A couple things I'm thinking about doing personally are these:
- Post 1 picture a day for 1 year. I heard someone else say it and thought that would be fun. And a great way to develop my photography skills. But it is her vision and not mine. So is that too copy cat-ish?

- Ben Franklin or George Washington or someone like that (old and with a white wig) decided to make a list of things he wanted to improve himself upon. For 1 week, he would focus and work on each. I like that. I think it would be a good idea.

- Smile more. J says I don't smile enough. I started smiling and he says I creep him out.

- Ordering groceries online and having them delivered. I wanted to do this 2 years ago, but they did not deliver here back then. Now, they do. And now, I don't have time to go grocery shopping, but I need to. So, I was thinking I could order the food online and not feel as guilty.

l love my job and love what I do and enjoy working where I work. But working full-time sucks!!!!!!! I had an 18-month taste of what it is like to be a stay@home mom. I want that life again. I want to have time to clean my home and care for my family. To be able to cook dinner and buy groceries at 4 different stores to get what we need. I want to be able to have time to take my kids out to the water fountains to play on a whim. To visit every playground in our neighborhood, including the brand new playground with shade. So much I want to do with my kids but work is in the way and housekeeping is in the way.

I need to figure out a way to keep my house clean, kids fed, family activities planned, time with friends, and work in check. And have a wonderful relationship with my husband.

Cloning. How are they coming on cloning? Hmmm....

That was 20 minutes. Boo-yah!!!

It's Time!!

It's time to purchase a pie or cake carrier.

I made a lovely pie to take to a dinner party at MAM's. While prepping for travel, I realized the pie was too high for the lid to be used without smashing the fruit on top, smearing the Cool Whip and making the pie look disgusting.

I improvised.

Like I said, it's time for a cake or pie carrier.

Writing Workshop II - Week Two

If you EVER have a chance to take one of MAM's summer writing classes, TAKE IT!! Or, if you ever have the opportunity to take one of MAM's university classes, it will be well worth the money. I should mention MAM is writing a book on writing so one day, you will be able to learn to write using beautiful language, realistic and intriguing characters with juicy plot lines that keep you up all night turning pages!

This week, we did a great exercise to help develop a character. MAM had us pair up (she was my partner) to ask questions about each other's character. It was exactly what I needed to further develop my character and another character based on the questions she asked. I'm going to do this with the other characters.

Another question MAM asked was what cartoon character this character is most like. I chose Alice in Wonderland from the Johnny Depp movie version Alice. I liked this exercise because it really made me think long and hard about who my character is. I don't watch many cartoons and it's been far too long since I read the original Alice in Wonderland.

Looking forward to doing the homework - reading a few chapters of MAM's book, 15 minutes of writing per day, and something else I can't remember right now and it's late so I'm not looking it up because you won't really care anyway.

Transformers Chicago

I LOVE living in Chicago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transformers movie is filming in Chicago. 

We got to see some really cool stuff while driving around. 

I got to be about 20 feet from 

Optimus Prime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!!! I'm not one to go gaga over a star but well, seeing Optimus Prime really got me excited.

Street scenes with torn up streets, blown up cars

Michigan Ave bridge with destruction all around

Doctor Needed

You have heard of brand loyalty, I'm sure. Well, when it comes to medical professionals, I'm a bit of a brand loyalty snob. I like my doctors and I stick with them.

I had the same doctor growing up for 14 years. In my late teens, I found a doctor that I stuck with for about 11 years until I moved to Tulsa. When I say stuck with, I mean I followed him from group practice to self-practice, location to location to location. It would take me over an hour to get to him. That's loyalty!

I finally found a doctor in Tulsa I liked. Then I had to switch insurance companies and lucked out with a great doc the first time.

Now we are in Chicago and I can't find a doctor I like. The market is saturated with women doctors but I prefer men doctors. One male doctor I found weighed no less than 350 pounds. The other male doctor was so shy and timid (after years in practice), I thought I was going to have to kiss him first.

To be honest, I did find 2 doctors I like in Chicago. But they are at Outpatient clinics and not general practice physicians. How frustrating!!

All I need is a refill on my allergy medicine. That's all.

Faith Like Draino

We are told that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Have you seen how itty bitty teeny weeny tiny a mustard seed is? And have you seen any news reports of shifting mountains? Does that mean us humans are faithless creatures?

When I was young and impressionable, I was full of faith!! One time, my bathtub was not draining. I thought I had done something wrong so I was too scared to tell my landlord. And it had never happened at my parents' home, so I guess I didn't think to tell my dad. I knew I had a whole lot of faith to make that water go down. So I started praying up a storm and speaking to that mountain of water!! Nothing happened. I gave it the night.

The next morning, I leaped out of bed, bounded into the bathroom, pulled back that shower curtain and still nothing. That night, I practically ran into the house and raced down the hall to the bathroom. No drainage. Or the next day either. Finally, I mentioned it to a co-worker who told me to buy Draino. Draino worked.

There's really nothing wrong with being young, stupid, and full of wide-eyed belief. What this faith experience taught me was that there are some things that have a natural course and path and nothing we do will change that. And there are things that we don't need faith for. We just need Draino.

Imagine you are pregnant and about to go for an ultrasound to find out if you are having a boy or a girl. You are praying and begging God that you are going to have whichever sex you have your little heart set on. 4-5 months ago, when your baby was conceived, the sex was determined. There are laws of nature that we can't manipulate and God doesn't interfere with. No amount of Draino will change the sex of that baby.

Ever dream about what you are going to do and buy when you win the lottery? When was the last time you bought a lottery ticket? You need to buy a ticket - and some Draino.

My brother became extremely ill a number of years ago. His heart stopped beating in the ICU. His stats were off the charts. If he survived, he was going to have to have dialysis for the rest of his life. The doctors were at a loss. They had been doing everything they could to save my brother's life but it wasn't working. Everyone we knew joined their faith with ours and prayed for him to be healed. My brother's health turned around. The doctors and hospital staff were amazed. Within a couple days, he was released from the hospital and has never had residual effects. That was mustard seed faith that moved a mountain of sickness.

What are you hoping and wishing and praying for?

Knowing Me, Knowing You - July '10

It is time once again for monthly interview project created by The Fairy Blogmother.

1. Do you like to garage sale?
No if you mean do I like to go to garage sales. In theory I would love to garage sale. It's big in Tulsa almost year round. But I am always disappointed in the junk people have for sale.

YES if you mean do I like to hold garage sales. I am often complimented on how nice my sale items are. J helps and we 'style' our sales. Like the time we were selling a bed and a comforter set, we brought the bed out, set it up with the comforter set. SOLD in 15 minutes. We also had a baking rack that matched our kitchen table and chairs, plus napkins, place mats, centerpiece. We set it all up together. Everything sold within 20 minutes (except the kitchen table & chairs which was just there to draw the crowd in).

2. What do or would you garage sale for?
Tea pots. I collect tea pots. I look for Longaberger baskets that people don't realize are a collector's items and have selling for dirt cheap.

3. Cloth or paper napkins?
In Tulsa we were more formal and did cloth. In Chicago, I just don't have the time to be washing and folding napkins. Plus, where would I put it all??

4. Ever re-gift?
I've joked about it and talked about to the point people think I have. But to be honest, I can't think of anything I've ever actually re-gifted. I have definitely re-gift bagged.

5. Are you watching Big Brother or Last Comic Standing?
No. I only ever watched the first season of Big Brother.
Nope. Never seen Last Comic Standing.

If you want to play on your blog, be sure to head on over to The Fairy Blogmother to give her some Linky love.

Truthful Tuesday - They May Go to Hell Because of Me

Last night, in my writing workshop, we had to share an embarrassing story about ourselves. What I'm about to share is not known by many people, including my mother. I have not shared this story with my mother for about 30 years. Here's to hoping she doesn't read my blog...

I come from a long line of good Catholics. My mother was such a good Catholic, she almost entered the nunnery. 

We were great Catholics. 

We ate fish on Fridays and observed Lent. And when we got in trouble, 

we even kneeled before a photo of Jesus. 

But then my oldest brother told my mother he didn't believe in God.

It freaked her out. 

Soon, we were born again Christians. We were good born again Christians. 

My mom was determined to share the gospel of the Good News of Jesus with all those she encountered.

There were a lot of us in my home. My parents. My grandparents. My 3 older siblings. 8 of us. That's a lot of people. Chances of being home alone with so many people in a house are pretty slim to none. 

A couple things happened. First, I became best friends with Maria Cannizzarro. Maria was a tiny Italian girl with a mouth so foul, she could curse a boatload of sailors into blushing. And my grandfather died. Then my grandmother went to live with my aunt abroad for 6 months. 

I found myself alone at home. A lot. 

My favorite thing to do when home alone was to stand in the upstairs hallway, near the kitchen, and shout every possible profanity and combination of profanity my 11-yr old mind could imagine within a 5 minute period. Top of my lungs. Every swear word known to man. Or me. Sometimes, the kitchen windows were open.

Later that fall, my mother returned from witnessing to the next door neighbor. A stay-at-home mom. Witnessing is when you talk about Jesus and invite someone to be a Christian. 

It didn't go so well.

As fate would have it, the neighbor lady told my mother that she wanted no part of God, based upon the things she heard coming from our home. Ummm...

My mother was so shocked and confused. She thought we had a good family life. She asked all of us kids what the neighbor could possibly be talking about. I think Mom thought we were fighting when she wasn't home. I'm fairly confident, my mother never thought her 11-year old daughter had been cursing at the top of her lungs the entire spring and summer.

30 years later and my mother has never been told this story. 

In fact, I don't think any of my siblings know the story either...