Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Tired

Lately, whenever I stop in around here, I feel very much at a loss for words. I wish I were one of those great blogging moms that can quip with the best of 'em while homeschooling 6 kids and whipping up a perfect souffle with the quickness. but i'm not any of those things. and after the past few months, I find myself tired, and so unsure of so many things right now.

Should i keep this cell phone and step up into the here and now or should i keep my tried and true ways. Internet usage would be available but altered. But has that been my crutch or a saving grace...

Work has been unbearable and for reasons I will never understand....

The school decision is only a month away....

I'm left out in the open and feeling far less than stellar, lemme tell ya. The depression dogs are barking at my heels with my first migraine in months. God, if you have a minute....its me again, margaret.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Technologically inept?

i'm currently blogging from the new instinct phone. I'd be lying if i told you this wasn't just abit weird. Welcome to 2009.

Monday, March 16, 2009

on motherhood and occasionally getting it right

sometimes i feel like i fail miserably at this mom thing. i see all my inadequacies and i'm tempted to just curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb. and then, every now and then, i catch little snippets of inspiration that make me feel like maybe i'm doing just fine for where we're at.

due to our transition into year-round school this past summer, holidays and fall/spring breaks last much longer. this is bella's 3rd & final week of spring break. in years past, bella would have been farmed out to every available family member remotely capable of 'sitting for us while we did the work thing. so for the time being, while i may not adore my current & very hectic weekend schedule, it does afford me time with bella when i might otherwise not have been so lucky. we've had so much fun these past couple of weeks...i almost hate to lose her back to school next monday.

while i was at work on friday, week before last, jason took bella to the hands on museum for a fun, allbeit mass, playdate and a viewing of "beverly hills chihuahua". you know my usual aversion to such flicks, but they'd both enjoyed it and she's been after me to rent it. (p.s. it is a cute story) and while scanning the redbox screen the other day, another movie caught my eye as well, so with a quick click, we were on our way.

the movie, was "the boy in the striped pajamas", based on the novel by john boyne. maybe you've read it, maybe you haven't. i'm always a day late and a dollar short, so don't even recall trailers for the movie. the book itself, is heart-wrenching, and had immediately piqued my interest, as it follows a period in our history that is very near and dear to my heart. i thought it was beautifully written and i was ecstatic to learn they'd translated it to the screen. it was listed in the family section so i expected a lighter touch, similar to that of "kit kittredge"

in our history and even still, in present day, the testimonies that amaze me the most, that make God that much more real to me, are those of people that have overcome absolute tragedy and loss. the human condition.

i have always been fascinated by the holocaust. as a girl, i poured over the stories. i read books, like the diary of anne frank and corrie ten boom. later, i wept, watching schindlers list. and for all the things my first husband wasn't, he was the son of a very jewish woman and i learned so much, from her stories, as well.



i may not ever be one of those great moms that keeps their kids abreast of all the latest goings-on in the world around us. but i am passionate about teaching bella our history. its important to me that she retains a happy mix of a well-adjusted childhood and a sage old soul that reaches out for the less fortunate, the hurting, the forgotten. because for me, seeing is believing and life-changing. getting your hands dirty is imperative. and making a difference, no matter how big or small, serves such a purpose.

maybe thats a little bit controversial. i certainly fall on my face alot, tripping over my good intentions. i walk this thin line of wanting to shield her innocence, yet make her aware that the world is not always what it seems. that some things we'll never understand, and will never seem fair. and how important things like hope and perseverance really are.

before we sat down to watch the movie, we had an in-depth conversation about the holocaust and what ultimately happened to thousands of innocent people. bella was full of questions and i was more than happy to discuss them with her. but i was unprepared for the impact the movie would have on her. the outpouring of emotion and the opportunity to really talk about some pretty heavy stuff.

can i just say, the movie is painfully beautiful. your heart literally aches for the innocence lost. any violence is delicately eluded to, never directly shown, yet as adults, the reality is in your face. i think children are really able to empathize with what the main character, an 8 year old german boy, is experiencing. and my hat goes off to the director.

while i can't tell you if your child is ready to experience this movie,i can say it was the right time for bella, and i do encourage you to check it out, regardless.

Monday, March 9, 2009

2 posts in one day?

there are countless sites that never cease to inspire and amaze me with their honest writing and links to windows that open up my world. such beautiful stories.... i thought i'd share just a couple this morning.

aaron from arms wide open introduced me to
nick vujicic



and jen lemen introduced me to chris abani

on procrastinating

do you ever do this....have some enormoid decision looming over your head like the goodyear blimp, yet blithely ignore the huge shady area over your head in the name of "i'm too busy to deal with this"?

me too. i blame it on the time change.

jason spent the weekend building his loft in our long desired and highly anticipated storage building/workshop, finally delivered last week. bella landed a coveted part and solo in her MusicMakers class on Sunday. my sister wrote a beautiful piece of work.

me? i went thru the motions at work: bathing, cooking, cleaning for ebb and flow, all the while struggling with the age old question: why am i not content. i'm too old for this, this uncertain, angst-filled feeling.

and, why do the wires on our underwires always bust loose while we're on the job.

curse my boobs.

aaaaand, how do i help jason officially quit smoking.taxes have gone up $1.50 a pack. time to switch to beef jerky.

for all intents and purposes, my life is good. i mean, hello fuzzy, i've made it thru addictions, divorce, childbirth, bankruptcy. rape. i'm strong. built ford tough or some such thing. and my bras are currently 25% off. you know, if i needed a new one or anything.

so why am i so off-kilter. why do i feel so out in left field. and why am i so thin-skinned for all my bravado. i notice i'm no longer listed on an admired fellow bloggers site and my instant knee jerk reaction is, "oh no! they've kicked me off the cool kids table. what have i done wrong. its because i've posted so sporadically over the past several months, isn't it. i haven't kept up; i haven't commented. my writing lacks substance. quick! whats a topic!" i think i'm so tough, when really i'm just gooey-filled and desperately seeking approval and acceptance. that i still do this after all these years borders on exasperating, my friends.

what if this is as good as it gets.... not half bad, yah? so why do i consistently daydream about the future and what could or should be so much better than right here, right now. what should i be doing differently, where am i going to be at, a year from now.

the truth? i'm gonna come clean. i think i'm having a really hard time with my life being uncharacteristically normal, right now. i know.... how life altering, right? the thing is, i think the control freak in me is dying a slow, painful death, grasping at straws. and i feel sorry for her. rather than concentrate on the good in my current work, i focus on all the negative crap that goes along with it and i've become a serial job hunter. its true. i'll scan the want ads, apply, interview, and then,once hired, find some reason why that position would never work for me. i went to another interview this morning. similar work to what i do now. i was confident; self-assured. i aced the interview. they liked, nay, loved me. but will i take the job? probably not. instead, i will most likely delicately turn it down whilst i secretly covet the stay-at-home mom gig that has always eluded me and try not to be really, really mad at jason for not being some rich doctor/plumber/IT kind of guy.


i don't want to think about letting go. i don't want to make a decision about going back to school or how long i can last, keeping this kind of a work schedule. i don't want to have to face anything, right now because that would be facing something. and for all that not thinking, i'm doing a little too much thinking. my argument last night on the whole school decision?

moi: if i don't go back to school, how will we ever make it to places like hawaii. or seattle.

hubsand: well, there's always the stimulus package.

do you see what i have to live with around here?

anyway. i guess if you see me not thinking around these parts, give me a shout out and keep me in line, no?