Ramble

Hello Sunshine!
Despite mine and my family's lingering sickness I had a most lovely Mother's Day weekend.  Because we were so low energy we decided to keep it simple and easy.  Thankfully the sun came out and the combination of warmth and all the beautiful spring flowers was all I needed to have a happy day.  Of course, my mothers day wouldn't have been complete without a glass (or two) of wine made most lovely by sharing it with my mom, dad and Tom on my parents haven of a patio.  I really do love long, lazy summer days!

We left my parents and after re-grouping at home decided to go for an evening stroll in the neighborhood.  A few blocks into our peaceful walk we had to cross a fairly busy intersection with no crosswalk.  As usual there was traffic going by as well as a two way stop, however the traffic was lighter than normal.  I was in front of our tribe and had made eye contact with a woman in a station wagon who had clearly given me the signal that she would wait for us to cross.  We were about halfway through the intersection when I realized she was yelling something at me.  "Huh"  I thought, "She's probably making a comment about mothers day and what a cute family I have".  I smiled and nodded at her.  It was then that I heard what she said in a rather angry tone:  "This is a REALLY dangerous intersection.  You SHOULD teach your children how to use the crosswalk and cross it properly!!!".  What?!  Did she seriously just say that?

Now usually I'm not the quickest responder to comments such as this one.  Generally I'm shocked that a stranger would feel the need to give their unsolicited advice.  I guess for me unless someone is clearly harming another person or animal I try to stay out of peoples business.  About five seconds passed so I really hope she heard me yell back "Or maybe you should MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!"

Ugg.  Of course this burst of emotion had to happen on the corner our church is on.  Of course.  Thankfully I didn't flip her off or use "language".  Believe me -- I felt like it.

I will say that it made for a good conversation with the kids on the remainder of our walk.  We discussed good comebacks.  Ella's was my favorite - "Mom, you should have said : Lady - you don't know who you're messing with!"   Ah, yes - that's my girl!

Here's some pic's of me and my sickies because we have to document Mothers Day 2012!

 

Ella was in her "make a silly face" mode....

Goodness how I love these little people!:)

One Hundred!

According to my little blogger counter today marks my 100th post!  It strikes me as particularly ironic that on today of all days (in part because I STILL don't have coffee in my house) I'm struggling with a bit of writer's block.  Still, I have to admit that this little outlet so far has been fun for me.  It's great to have a place to document all my creative and deep thoughts!

I thought it would be fun to share (and be reminded of) some good advice about blogging from a few of my favorite bloggers.  The following pointers come from The Pioneer Woman and A Beautiful Mess:

*  Be yourself.  Talk in your own voice.
*  Blog often. 
Whether you write a sixteen-paragraph essay about the cosmic implications of a free market system, a one-paragraph description of what happens to your soul when you walk into your godforsaken laundry room, or a simple photo and caption, consider your blog a precious bloom that requires daily nurturing.
And watering.
If you water a plant once every two weeks, it will shrivel
*  Allow your boundaries to set themselves naturally. 
Don’t feel like you have to sit down and set rules about what you will and will not blog about from day one. Just blog, and see what feels comfortable for you.
*  If you have writer's block push though and blog anyway.  (Ummm - got that one covered today!)
*  Create a blog you'd enjoy reading.
*  Develop regular features that are fun to write
*  Trust your instincts. 
Listen to your intuition. If something doesn't feel right, don't do it. You don't always have to do what other bloggers are doing. Years ago I had a series of experiences that led me to value my own privacy. If you are a private person (even a little) this tip is for you!

I like these words of wisdom!  I like to give myself plenty of freedom to play around with this and so there might be some changes in my little blog in weeks to come.  For now,  I'm just happy to have had the fortitude to write this entry!