I won!

Photo Credit: Micah Spoerndle, photographer extraordinaire

I jumped into the water and it paid off. I read about a writing contest sponsored by a fellow WordPress blogger and knew I had to submit. I keep saying, “Someday, I’ll get around to submitting work”, but never do. I usually have a thousand excuses, none of which really hold water. The contest deadline was scheduled for my daughter’s birthday. The submission detail easy and efficient. I opened an email, attached the file and clicked “send”.

Too late to retrieve it. It was out in cyberspace and the deed was done. Good for me! Or was it?

My effort was rewarded. My work recognized. Thank you, Luann for sponsoring this contest. Thank you for encouraging me to remember writing is meant to be shared. Thank you for my honorable mention.

Read more here: http://writersite.org/2013/09/30/honorable-mention-for-ian/

Feeling blessed

The Sixth

My youngest son, Aidan is the stereotypical youngest of the family. You know the type; the baby, the center of attention, an easy going personality with endless amounts of emotional flexibility and accommodation. I have determined, based on my position as the mother of a large family, these personality characteristics, whether genetic or environmentally developed, equate to survival skills as the youngest of six. Very few situations rattle or deter him. A social butterfly; it could be said that everybody loves Aidan and Aidan loves everybody.

Last week was the first week back at school after a 10-day holiday break. Having just experienced the ultimate Lego Christmas, Aidan determined his first object for “Show and Tell” Friday would be a newly acquired Lego Ninjago Fighter plane. This Christmas marked a milestone for his development. Not only had he acquired his first really huge, ultimate Lego set, but he built it entirely by himself. A proud Lego enthusiast, Aidan was ready to share this accomplishment with his 2nd grade class.

I came back home after dropping Aidan at school on Friday and discovered the Lego creation, still in it’s bag ready for transport to school, sitting on top of the kitchen table. I felt a pang of disappointment for Aidan. Despite his best intentions he apparently was distracted as we left the house and left the Show and Tell object behind. A brief consideration to run the bag to school flickered through my mind easily dismissed by the logical conclusion that our home is a 20 minute drive from the school. “There is always next week”, I resolved.

Reunited after school, I quizzed Aidan about his day. He recounted the menu at lunch, reminded me he had “NO HOMEWORK!!” and chatted about his impending sleep over that evening at a friend’s house. I remembered the Ninjago bag and asked him if he had been disappointed he forgot it.

“No”, he said, “It was okay”.

“What did you share for Show and Tell ?”

“Oh, I just showed everyone the Coffee Grinder (a dance move) aaaannnd my little plastic dinosaur”.

“Your plastic dinosaur?”

“Yeah, I found it in the coat room before Christmas and it was still in my desk.”

And there you have it. A perfect summation of my son, Aidan, and the sixth child’s endless ability to adapt. Always ready to perform at a moment’s notice, Aidan is the physical embodiment of “The show must go on”. Forgetting his presentation that day, he could have passed on his turn. He could have fell to pieces, lamented his misfortune, or passed blame on to his mother who should have conceivably remembered to remind him that Friday was “Show and Tell”. Aidan didn’t waste time with any of that. Instead, he examined his resources and mustered up a “Show and Tell” presentation that capitalized on his opportunity to shine.

Aidan’s example is a handy lesson to remember as I Keep Calm and Carry On.

Hurricanes in Ohio

I’ve lived in Ohio my whole life and today was another Ohio first for me. Hurricane Sandy, a Frankenstorm, they say, moved in last night and took up residence for a few days in NE Ohio. High winds, rain, and flooding were enough for most school districts and businesses in the area to wave the white flag, so I joined suit and took the day off. For me that meant a day off with power. What can I say? I live in no man’s land and for once my remote hillside equated with security and electricity to boot. I feel a bit guilty at my fortune as I watch the storm on TV. But, I needed this break and it feels like a much needed staycation rather than tragedy.

I have accomplished all the required activities of a pajama day at home. I watched all sorts of daytime TV, played with the dog, ate lunch in my kitchen, wrote countless emails to “catch up” on correspondence and of course cruised Facebook without guilt. Best of all, I remembered I had this blog, patiently waiting for a moment when creativity would be allowed its moment in my generally overcrowded schedule.

Today I learned that ABC has a new talk show that follows “The View” called, “The Chew”. I now have a new resource for recipes. I also bore witness to The View’s 3,000th show and ached for Michael J. Fox as the evidence of his Parkinson’s ruled his visit with the ladies on today’s show. I met Kelly’s new co-host who replaced Regis this past Fall. I had time to remember my former life of stay-at-home Mom and enjoyed the trip down memory lane. I became a bit nostalgic for the little faces that used to surround my days at home, now off in college classes.

Life is always sending forth reasons to spin out of control. But today, a hurricane blew into my hometown stirring up some much needed personal relaxation. I found some time I had thought I lost. It was time claimed to re-focus, so I can “Keep Calm and Carry On”.

Welcome to my life and my blog!