Slowing It Down

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Lisa

Switching gears here, I’ll move toward something peaceful because the high energy of the past few weeks has been like a rushing stream you wouldn’t want to fall into. The school year nears its end and thus “things must be done.” It’s always something, just like Roseanne Roseannadanna always lamented, right?

We had a family reunion last week, though, which was quite nice and special; family we hadn’t seen in at least 10 years came over to the Mainland from Hawaii, and also, some we hadn’t even met yet joined us from SoCal for the gathering in Las Vegas. It was a rollicking good time, though too short. (I will try to post photos soon.)

Today was a wonderful party for Grammie, who turned 85!! this year.  Still going strong, she had a great time and was truly surprised by the gathering that was the brainchild of Aunty Virgie, our generous hostess, since January.  Again, seeing family we hadn’t seen in at least a few months and for some of us, even longer than that. (I’ll try on the photos here, too.)

Kindergarten graduation will be next week and soon we’ll be able to Just. Enjoy. Summer. I have to remember to not get caught up in attempting to do too much. So what if we have a boring life for the next few months and just operate in slo-mo, enjoying lazy days of doing “whatever”? That sounds like a dream to me! :)

I’d like the twins to learn the value, early on, of truly taking the time to stop and enjoy things, not always rushing from one thing or event to the next. They’ll have plenty of time for that in adulthood, though I’m hopeful good inspiration now will enable them to minimize that possible scenario. The pacing of modern life is already trying to get its hooks into them: I’m busy with my attempts at forging a career and taking side jobs when I can, so sometimes they’ll fall victim to t.v. for a little while because I can’t be there.

Honestly, after their exposure to all those commercials is where I can see noticeable change in their desires and style of play. When I am able to slow things down, inspire them to build and create things with a certain type of material or what have you (paper, crayons, scissors, boxes, blocks, Lego, etc) and incorporate their simple toys, the energy shift is amazing. Just this week The Guy had a Disneyland Monorail sent and they love it. Using the remote to drive it around and putting the characters in the cars, and building tunnels for it with their CitiBlocs has provided hours of simple fun. (And no arguments about Mario. BTW, ditto for photos here, too)

Anyway, this Toideloi dollhouse I found last year online is amazing. I’m thinking of trading in most of their old toys for this. You can add to it with different walls, roofs, balconied floors, etc, and change it so many ways. Click on the photo for the neat About page with video, from their website. Wish I had this when I was a kid!

Enjoy :)

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Handbasket Express

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lisa

An old friend of mine used to always quote the “hell in a handbasket” lament when we encountered yet another insane concept or idea in pop culture, i.e. the latest round of Reality Show titles trotted out. Remember “The Littlest Bachelor”? Remember how pissed off the little bachelorettes were when the “twist” was “regular-height” women were added to the pot? How messed up was that to begin with?! And “The Swan”? Full-on plastic surgery makeovers + wardrobe and grueling gym-rat life transformed-literally- several women who then competed in a beauty contest against each other. It wasn’t even them anymore! Some of them were still their dorky-but-GENUINE selves and couldn’t handle the heels, bless them. Jeez! Just crazy shit that many people eat up and go about grazing on the grass like nothing’s happened to society.

Now Hologram Tupac has been let out and to much good reception, at least from what I’ve seen. WTF?! Anyway, a quote I just read inspired this rant: “I would pay to see Hologram Tupac on tour.” Then, last week I  saw several Facebook posts gathered in another web rant and rightly so. The gist? “Chris Brown can beat me anytime, anywhere!” I consider myself a work in progress and constantly doing my best to achieve balance but seriously, these days are quite a challenge. How easy it is for big corporations to yank us up by the collective heels and shake the money from our pockets.  Time for me to unplug a bit and get out, hang out with real things like the beach, sand, rocks and trees.

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Emerging from the Bomb Shelter

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Lisa
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"WTF kind of jellybean is THIS??"

Yes, I’ve been living under a rock! Well, life and life with children can do that to you. I’d heard of those Harry Potter jellybeans long ago but always assumed they were a joke! If you’re familiar with the movies you’ll know that the jellybeans have “every flavor” so, that means there are some nasty bombs in there among the wonderfully yummy ones. What I never imagined is that the gross, vile ones really do sort of exist out here in the Muggle World! Another similar mix is called “Bean Boozled” and has more disgusting flavors. Seriously, how did the flavor engineers come up with these? Who were the tasters?? I’ve toured the Jelly Belly Factory before, several times, and I wish they’d had these things before when I could have asked directly!

Poor babies received some boxes of these beans for Easter in some cute baskets from Big Sis Coco and proceeded to eat them. The first flavor was “Booger”, as you can probably tell from Charles Wallace’s reaction above. LMAO!

We all had some fun with these seeing reactions to the various flavors, though I did from afar. Just the smell of most of them was enough to make me gag!

My brother was the chief taster, brave or missing a few links, I can’t tell yet. But “Earwax,” “Centipede,” “Vomit,” and “Skunk Spray”? Blech!! He tried to get me to eat “Booger” but I said I don’t even eat my own, why the hell would I put an artificial one in my mouth?!

Hope it was a nice Easter for all!

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De-modernizing Day

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Lisa

"Wait, it's not dry yet!"

Finished products for today.

In this age of DVDs, DVRs, YouTube, Wii, and 5-yr-olds aware of such things, it’s a machine I have given up resisting.  At least not 100% anymore. I figure it like so: the bend of the tree offers more rewards than the rigid branch that snaps against force and is lost to die.

Yeah, sumthin’ like that!

Plus, I’m being realistic. It’s out there, I can’t shield them forever. Also, what happens when the twins start hanging out with their friends away from home, etc? They’ll go hog-wild and do all the things they’ve been restricted from, that’s what! I sure did, haha. No, not really. (Shh, Dori!)

Anyway,  I just do what I can to slip in a little Amish-inspired activity as I am able and hope it “takes”. Today was a fun respite from Mario. At least for a few hours until they started to paint Mario,  Luigi, and Yoshi peg people. *sigh* They did have a lot of fun painting. I’m sure I’ll turn out some lovable little quasi-Luddites yet.  Next week they are going to macrame their own giant playhouse.  Juuust kidding, but I really do want them to make some great stuff with these neat cardboard box rivets I got last summer. More to come in a later post.  I have a polite request to turn on a Wii for 30 minutes and I must say, they did earn the time. It is the Wii-kend, after all. I can’t argue with that since I told them it only works at that time after they cooperate!

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Mental Push-Ups for Your Spirits

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Lisa

I need to smile more today and remembered these from my bag of tricks.

Where I am right now-- in my mind and dreams!

 

 

Haha! See, that’s why the comma matters, people! :)

(Eh, I’m just bitter b/c I got lost following the literal directions to a party, while all other grammar-less people made it there, with ease, and proceeded to rag on me . . . all b/c I was using proper English, jeez!)

For all those who call me anal and refuse to play Scrabble with me! :)

 

 

Oh! Just the thought or sight of my girls below can make me laugh. God, they can be so funny! hahahaha!! Laughing is just a must so it’s good to have a reminder of them close by. I saw this art piece a long time ago in an Etsy shop, check it out. Click on the image to go to an article that explains more about elloh, the artist. (My personal favorites, in addition to below, are the Willy Wonka ones and a Planet of the Apes piece but there must be a lot more I’ve not seen yet. So campy and funny.)

Some of the funniest ladies ever!

 

Lastly, I just saw this quote today and it did make me smile with its simple truth:

There is no such thing as a broken heart-only a heart that is learning to love more and better.

 

Enjoy your day :)

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Escape

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Lisa

Fun piece of artwork I saw somewhere online by Ulises Farinas. Click on image to see it in detail and zoom in once more from there. Great stuff if you love comics and Star Wars, as I do :)

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Green Greetings!

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Lisa

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Had a great St. Paddy’s Day evening following a bagpiper, a talented balloon-makin’ leprechaun, and fellow townspeople to our city’s watering holes for a Pub Crawl. Met a lot of nice folks and sorry to have gotten split up. The leprechaun just disappeared, as did the piper, but we’d all slaked our thirst over a few hours so things got a bit fuzzy.

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Beautifully Done!

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Lisa

One late night I stumbled onto this page after beginning a search for something that escapes  me now. This was like one of those wrong turns you make while searching for the freeway that leads you to a great little dive bar somewhere unexpected. Marc and Angel Hack Life is just a treasure trove of beauty, introspection, and inspiration. If you like to spend time inside your head and genuinely like it there, then this is for you. Just about any post you click on will make you think, feel, remember and sometimes cry.  The photo below is question #1 from their post, “40 Photo-Illustrated Questions to Refocus Your Mind.” It’s great and I enjoyed it very much. Maybe you will, too. Check ‘em out!

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Cancer. The Beginning of Awakening?

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Lisa

This month has been incredibly unpredictable with both wondrous events and hair-pulling  ones in equal doses for me.  Therefore, I am still working my way back here and can give minimal attention at the moment. This book by William Kelley Eidem is very important, though, so I’ll just give a little intro and you Google pros can take the ball from here and run with it.

So, “The Big C.” Very scary prospect and we are so conditioned by society and Big Bucks who sweep the change that falls from our pockets as we are held upside down by distractions and lies- constantly.  I’m a firm believer in the need to take charge, if not at least a more active role, in our own health. People who make money off our sickness, our fears, and our worries are NOT going to have our best interest in mind. What a world it would be if we get vocal about sharing our knowledge AND it’s not dismissed as crap.

If I had a dime for every one of those “READ NOW!” “PASS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!” emails I get that depict backseat butchers hiding in your car with an ax or gang initiation punks out to shoot you for some innocuous reaction to their setup I wouldn’t have to worry about child support for a year. But let me send out an email about how radiation doesn’t really do good stuff for your body and suddenly I’m the email equivalent of Hester Prynne trapped in a hell-on-Earth community of uptight people who probably don’t even know what their own bodies look like. Sheesh. I know, I know, I get it. It’s the (natural) reaction to the conditioning, but still. It doesn’t feel too great sometimes and takes a short while to deal with the sadness of how easily humanity is yanked around by a ruthless and greedy few. If this helps one person, that is awesome. Enjoy.

Click HERE to read the positive reviews of it on Amazon.

Mr. Eidem’s site is TheDoctorWhoCuresCancer.com

I haven’t read the book itself but have read this great article about how he cured Stage 4 Cancer in two weeks from his HubPage about it, many, many comments from people who have, comments from those who have tried it, and, I have been on his very valuable email list for a while. (You can sign up for his list at his site.) The information presented by Mr. Eidem is in line with a lot that I have studied myself in the realm of natural healing, mind/body connection, etc., and, what I know from my own experience and observations to be very real, true and powerful. Our bodies are infinitely more capable of healing than some would have us believe. More on this later.

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University of Life

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Lisa

After a few stormy weeks of emotionally choppy seas I finally have washed ashore onto Island of Boundaries! Yes, it’s been a ride but when the tide pulls back and you see flecks of shiny, shiny gold poking through the mud, it’s a rush. At least to me it is.  Meaning, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees a while back, as is always the case when we are in the thick of experiences, but now I do see the gold nuggets of realization are so amazingly meaningful to my path in this world.  I mined them through a lot of blood, sweat and tears, true . . .  but that just makes it all the more valuable to me.

Sometimes events can really try your patience, give you the impression that “this is it” or make you wonder “Is this all there IS?!” And in the next breath you may scream with all your might and jump around like Donald Duck on speed. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. Maybe these are just my experiences as many around me seem to be on more of an even keel regarding life and “normalcy”. At least outwardly so.

2 months in, as far as I can tell, this year seems to be all about another kind of transition– as in internally. The last couple of years brought so much literal and figurative change for me and the difference now appears to be even deeper in my perceptions of Self and how I view others, and, what kind of lines in the sand I now draw having grown and stretched myself. In a way, it’s like a balancing of scales as I process what I’ve been through relationship-wise the past couple of years vs my deeper connection with mySELF.   I am dog-tired today, but will still welcome the life lessons. Just. Need. Time. To. REST!!

 

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