Day 14 - Man made

I'm stretching the subject a bit today.  Although this isn't man made in the sense of things like buildings and lakes, my hubby did leave this for me this morning.

Day 13 - Where you slept

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"Where I slept. But not for long enough. #fmsphotoaday #novemberphotoaday "
(taken at Asylum de Lang)

I want to get more sleep, but it always seems that I start working on my chores, and before I know it, I look at the clock and it's 11 pm. I have a feeling it's not going to change until after the Holidays.  I'll just have to get some sleep on the weekends and holidays I guess. 

Day 12- Drink

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"Drink. Coffee over vanilla ice cream. Yum #fmsphotoaday #novemberphotoaday "
(taken at Asylum de Lang)

Day 11- night

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"Finally finished 12 pairs of pj pants for the three kids. They'll all be wearing a pair tonight. #fmsphotoaday #novemberphotoaday #nofilter #sewing"
(taken at Asylum de Lang)

Day 10 - Don't want to live without

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"I don't want to live without my iced tea. I think it flows through my veins. #novemberphotoaday #fmsphotoaday"
(taken at Asylum de Lang)

Day 9 - Small

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"Trying to pick up@some crochet again. This is a small stitch. Maybe this time I'll learn how to do@more than make a scarf. Today's theme is small. #fmsphotoaday #novemberphotoaday #crochet"
(taken at Asylum de Lang)

Day 8 - Everyday

Today's prompt was something you do every day. Every night I cuddle with my son, and it is truly one of the best parts of my day. We usually read side by side for 20 or so minutes, then snuggle and chat before I tuck him in. It's a great waynformhim to wind down and me to get some cuddles.

Day 7 - reflection

The theme today is reflection. And while I took this in the mirror, I prefer to think of the reflecting I'm doing on the theme of my shirt. This election caused even stronger divides than we already had, and the only way we are going to improve our country is to live united.

Day 6 - A Favorite Thing

My basement craft space is one of my favorite places to be. One of theses days I actually finish writing my post about it.

Day 5 - 5 O'Clock

Day 5's theme is 5 O'Clock.  Pretty much every day at 5:00, I'm in my car.  Either picking someone up or dropping someone off.  My Sirius is my life line...I can't stand commercials!

Day 4 - Television

The movie theater where I live offers the cheapest movies between 4 and 6, so that's when we try to go.  We went Saturday to see Wreck It Ralph, but unfortunately they sold out right before we got there.  So I bought our tickets for Sunday's showing.  Today's theme was tv, but I stretched it a little...movie screens are just big tv's, right?

We all loved the movie by the way.

Day 3- breakfast

Today's theme is breakfast. I have a Luna bar almost every morning. Breakfast is a hard meal for me. I don't like cereal, it doesn't last. I don't usually have time to make eggs or meat. Since I'm trying to get back on program and lose more weight, these are a great solution.

And my one cup of coffee a day with a touch of flavored all natural creamer. Ahhhh!!!

Day 2 - NaBloPoMo and November Picture a Day

The sunrises and sunsets around here lately have been gorgeous.  The whole sky lights up with the colors.  It makes me want to just stand and take it all in, but unfortunately I'm usually rushing from dropping kids off to work.  But I still make sure I take at least a minute to enjoy the beauty and appreciate the simple pleasure.  

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"Sunrise this morning. The pinks and oranges coloured the whole sky, making me feel like I was under a bowl. It was gorgeous. #novemberphotoaday #nofilter #fmsphotoaday"
(taken at Cubicle World)

November

So I signed up for a picture a day for November on Instagram, and then I signed up for NaBloPoMo again.  I figure if nothing else, I can post my picture each day...lol.  But I'm hoping to throw some real posts in there as well.

So Day one was something that starts with C.

Monster went with his dad to buy his first deodorant.  It is Cool Wave scent.  This makes me so sad...he's turning into a pre-teen, and I'm losing my baby.  Luckily, he still loves his mama to pieces.

BHBC: Diary of a Submissive

First, I have a confession.  I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey, and I probably won't.  But when the opportunity to review Diary of a Submissive for BlogHer Book Club, I was intrigued. Diary of a Submissive is the true life story of a woman discovering her desires.  While it lives in the erotica genre, it's more than just a titillating read.

Sophie Morgan (a pseudonym) is a journalist who thrives on being independent.  But secretly, she wants to be submissive.  The story in this book takes us from Sophie's early life, through her college years (and her first spanking) through current day, sharing the journey she has taken to find her true self.  Behind the (sometimes steamy) tales of domination/submission, there is a story of trusting yourself, and finding the confidence to go after what you want and take some chances.  Throughout all of Sophie's relationships, she is pushed to the edges of her boundaries, and has to truly listen to her inner voice telling her what she can and can't handle.

I believe that I am a pretty open-minded person, and what other people do in their private lives is their business.  Reading this story confirmed for me that I would never make it as as submissive.  I do wish that there was more discussion regarding the mechanics of a dominant/submissive relationship.  While there was a quick discussion of safe words and normal nights, the bulk of the story was about the actual acts.

If you enjoyed the Fifty Shades series, you should read Diary of a Submissive.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Nuggets

There are so many things every day that I think I will write about, but I never do.  I'm not confident enough in my voice any longer.  I'm floundering with who I am.  I'm working on finding that confidence, so I'm forcing myself to write for now.

Most people make resolutions and changes on New Year's Day.  I feel that resolve in the Fall, when it's back to school.  I purge and clean, buying new notebooks and calendars, resolving to do better at staying organized this year.  It very rarely works, but I enjoy it none-the-less.  I have been on a cleaning/purging binge though, and my house is feeling better for it.

How about you?  Does your fresh start come in January or September?

Tightropes

My boy is nine.  It seems like just yesterday he was a mischievous little imp with a quick smile.  Now he's a messy boy, although still a bit mischievous.  In the past week, I've had numerous people comment on how big he has gotten, how much he has physically grown.  It's scary to be honest.  He's my baby.

He has discovered boy humor, and is constantly trying to insult his sisters (even though his insults are usually made up of nonsense.)  He is mostly loving, but prone to moments of grumpiness that I can no longer cajole him out of.  Luckily, he still loves his mama best, and he understands that no matter what, I'm there for him.

We had a young boy die in our school district last week, an apparent suicide at 10.  We've had a rash of suicides at the high school level in the last year and each one has shaken me, but this one, this one almost crushed me.  I don't believe that we knew the boy in any of our small groups, but it still is so upsetting.  How does a 10 year old even begin to think about their own death?  How sad must you be, what bad things have happened in your life?  All I could do was grab up my boy and love him, talking to him and making sure he knew how much I love him, how adored he is.

I work hard to maintain a relationship with my kids.  I try to walk that line...the line where your kids respect that you are the adult and are trying to do what is best for them, and them still wanting to be around you and talk to you.  It's like a tightrope, and I sometimes wobble.  Hopefully I haven't fallen completely off without knowing.

My baby girl turned 14 on Sunday.  I'm not sure how that squalling little baby girl is now suddenly a Freshman in high school, but there it is.

This child is my mini-me, not just in looks but in personality.  I always worried that it would make it difficult to be her mother.  It's usually volatile when you are so much alike.  But I have found that it's actually made it easier.  I can usually figure out what makes her tick, and when she needs to be pushed and when we need to just let her be.  It is eerie to hear my own teenage voice coming out of her mouth occasionally, but at the same time it's comforting.

This daughter has taught me so much about myself.  Most importantly, she's taught me to love myself, in a way I never could when I was a teenager.  She is confident in herself, and has no problem expressing herself or her creativity.  I was always afraid of being made fun of, and kept so much of myself hidden.  I'm not saying she doesn't have moments of self-doubt, or that there aren't things about herself that she wishes she could change.  She wouldn't be human if that was the case.  But she knows who she is and stays true to herself.

My main goal as a parent was to be sure that my children knew that they were loved, no matter what.  I wanted them to know affection, and that they could tell me anything.  I worried as we moved into the teenage years that this might be compromised, but I'm happy that my girl wants to hug her mama regularly, and isn't afraid to come talk to me about the hard situations. I'm not bragging, or saying I'm doing a perfect job.  I'm saying that I'm doing the best job I can, and I'm confident that I'm giving my kids the best of me most of the time.

I am thankful every day for the opportunity to be her mother.  And I've learned to be thankful that I am the person that I am.

Not so out of my element

So a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the hubs and I were working at a music festival in our hometown. And it was an amazing event.

The inaugural Firefly Music Festival  was a great weekend full of music and interesting sights. The entire weekend went by in a flash, but glimpses of it will have to keep me moving towards next years event.

It sounds funny to say that it was a peaceful event, since the music was anything but peaceful.  But it really seemed that everyone there just wanted to enjoy some great music.  While I saw a lot of interesting sights, and yes, I probably even silently thought they were crazy, there was an overwhelming attitude of acceptance.  Maybe we were all on a contact (or non-contact) high, but the craziness just made it more fun.

There were people with hula hoops, butterfly wings, and crazy hats.  There was a guy in a speedo, a guy dressed as a Hooter's girl, people in banana and taco costumes, people that hadn't bathed all weekend, and people dressed like they were about to get on a yacht.  But when the music played, it didn't matter.

I worked behind the main stage, and got to see and chat with quite a few artists.  Imagine Dragons were awesome performing, and they were great backstage as well.  The Flaming Lips are true entertainers, and I loved watching them walk by.  Fitz and the Tantrums rocked the stage, and they were rocking backstage as well.  I discovered Mayer Hawthorne, and loved him.  Grouplove, Ok Go, and many more.  But the best shows of the weekend?  The Black Keys on Sunday night was awesome.  Everyone knew it was the last moments, and the crush of people was amazing.  I've been in large groups before that sucked, but this group was of one mind...rock out and suck the last bit of enjoyment from the weekend.

But even better was the Killers show on Saturday night.  They ROCKED.  Fireworks, great music, beautiful weather.  It was everything that it should have been.

The hubs and I have already purchased our tickets for next year, and I'm hoping we can arrange to take our kids.  No volunteering next year...I plan on rocking at every show I can.

BHBC: The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns

I was so excited to be provided with an advance copy of this book.  When I opened the picture, the cover was such a gorgeous color and I was excited to get started reading.

The Care and handling of Roses with Thorns follows a small period of time in the life of Gal.  Gal is a science teacher with kidney disease who wants to create a new type of rose.  She is a very frank person, often saying exactly what is on her mind and seeing things in black and white.  She doesn't always understand why people get upset, since she is usually correct.  Her life is changed when her teenage niece is unexpectedly sent to live with her.  Gal must learn how to be more flexible and begins to see the world in color.


This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.