How Doth the Little Busy Bee...

In honor of National Poetry Month, I wanted to post one that speaks about my frame of mind today. Here it is:

How Doth the Little Busy Bee...by Isaac Watts

How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower! How skilfully she builds her cell! How neat she spreads the wax! And labors hard to store it well With the sweet food she makes. In works of labor or of skill, I would be busy too; For Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do. In books, or work, or healthful play, Let my first years be passed, That I may give for every day Some good account at last. * * * * * * * * * * * * I know that lots of people are busy. I just feel extra busy right now. I think this feeling is related to a large dose of good intentions and a somewhat mental inability to say no. (I'm getting better, though, at saying 'no,' that is.) I have myself involved in no less than two church projects, planning a field trip, running a reading competition, building an elementary school honor society, and pulling together the many loose ends that need to be tied up and tucked away before the end of the school year. And why am I writing about this? Well, I had a busy night, which is what brought these thoughts to the forefront of my mind. From early this morning, my feet hit the ground running and did not stop until late in the evening. (Huh, incidentally, "Late in the Evening" is one of my favorite Paul Simon songs, but I digress.)  This is not a complaint; it's just a fact of my life right now. I teach, so my day is full of the regular demands of instruction in addition to the extra things that have crept in. Today, that extra thing was Reading Competition Team practice (which I will lather-rinse-repeat tomorrow, too), which took place after school. I have a group of almost forty children, half of whom practice on Wednesday and half on Thursday. They're reading books from an official list, and they'll compete on small teams against one another to answer questions about the books they have read from the list. It is a lot of fun, and I am glad I have taken it on. Anything that sparks a love of reading and experiencing new literature in a child is good in my book. With that being said, I am turning my question of the evening over to you, reader. I would love it if you would respond and leave a comment about what book or books you think would populate the list of essential literature for upper elementary kids to read. What books are must reads for the 9-11-year-old set? I already know that Judy Blume is on that list. Wow me with a different, unique suggestion if you have a chance. I would love to hear from you.  I'm signing off of this somewhat shortened post. I need to gather as many z's as I can so that I can meet tomorrow's to-do list with enough gumption to give a good one-two punch to a few of the items on there!

Back from the Beyond

This poor little blog has been choking and sputtering for nearly four years since I started it. When I originally started, I had tagged it with a little line about finally getting around to doing something I always wanted to do...and then I really didn't do it. Common theme with me, really. Well, I am really ready to change that, and I am challenging myself to post every day for the next thirty in order to form the writing habit. From there, who knows where I will go? There are novels simmering away in my mind, and I would really like to see them actually boil over onto the page. If I can form this writing habit, perhaps I will make this other something I always wanted to do happen, too.


Now, who is going to want to read this? This self-indulgent, solipsistic navel-gazing? The plan  is really not to spend too much time navel-gazing and to engage in meaningful conversation (even if it's just with myself) about the things that matter on each particular day. Today, the topic on my mind is spending quality time with my child. I am a semi-ashamed-to-admit-it-workaholic. I enjoy my work and am pretty good at what I do, but I know that these young years of excitement and wonder with my daughter are not going to last much longer. Soon, "Mom come over here and watch this!" is going to be replaced by "Not now, mom, can't you see I'm (insert more important teenage activity here)." I don't want to look back and think 'What was so important that I allowed myself to miss all of this?' So I'm stopping. I'm stopping the missing and starting to be more in the moment with my awesomewonderfulsillysweetimaginative kid. She hit the decade mark just a month and a half ago. I've already seen her inner-tween poking it's wily head out every now and again. I want to know and enjoy this part of her better before that metamorphosis comes to fruition.


Tonight, we wasted enjoyed an hour on the couch just being silly and laughing. We were talking baby talk and then pretending to be confused over what the other said. It just got more and more ridiculous as each minute ticked by, and pretty soon we were both laughing so hard that we couldn't even remember what got us started laughing in the first place. Probably some stab at toilet humor...yes, we're sophisticated here. When all was said and done, and I was rubbing my aching sides and seeking a drink of water to quench my laughter-parched throat, it struck me just how important that time was. These hints have been coming at me with more volume and frequency over the past few weeks, but it took the anvil to my head of just laughing on the couch to make me see that the limited time I have with this little person is quickly sliding through my fingers. 


So, here we are. It's now four hours after that epiphanic giggle-fest, and I started dreaming up and scheming ways that I can squeeze every last ounce of enjoyment into the minutes, hours, days, and months I have with her. Mind you, I realize that I yet have years with this human being as part of my life, and I have no doubt that we're going to be close despite differences in opinion over dress, dating, and the like. I know that our relationship will evolve and change in many ways over the course of our lives and that we'll learn many things from one another. I just know that I have to start enjoying her right now and this is the key to learning how to appreciate the joy that is a part of my life each day. 


Now that I have poured all of that out, I have something to share...two somethings, actually. First is this lovely blog that I stumbled upon in my brainstorming:
Homemade Kids - I have explored a page full of writing and am hooked. 
50 Things to Do Before You're 11 & 3/4 - This list is fantastic. The idea originated in the UK and was based on a National Trust report that cited a decline in children's time spent outdoors and the consequences of this decline. 
This is where I will be starting in my mission for more quality time. My daughter and I already began exploring the 50 Things site and have logged information about some of our adventures. 


To anyone who reads this post and has children or good ideas about spending quality time with loved ones, I would love to hear from you about your ideas. If you have any websites to suggest, please do that, as well. I am really looking forward to getting this conversation started. I will be checking back in tomorrow with the next thought that, like a pebble, is making ripples in my mind. 

NaBloPoMo 2009

Well, I have decided to participate in National Blog Posting Month in order to further motivate myself to continue with my everyday writing habit. I tried to follow through on participating in NaNoWriMo last year, but my efforts did not quite pull me through the entire month. A daily blog post seems to be more doable than writing a novel in a month.

Today, I am thinking about a book I just finished reading--The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I picked it up because a dear friend recommended and loaned it to me. And I am so glad she did. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read. The characters were very well written--emotionally engaging and believable. The plot centers on the work of three women to give voices to those who had not historically had a voice--the colored help who served in white households in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I won't tell you how it turns out, but I will say that you will laugh and cry as the characters bravely work side by side to accomplish what turns out to be an extremely dangerous task. If anyone reading this post has read the book and wants to discuss it online let me know. I would love to hear what others have thought after reading the novel.

And although I am not participating in National Novel Writing Month, I am still working on planning a novel that will take me more than a month to complete. In fact, I'm sure it will be a multi-year project because I plan to write a series. More about that some other time, though.

One Year Later

Well, it has been one year of dodging writing intentions for who knows what reason. I looked today and saw that the last post I published came in on November 7th, and then I started to wonder why it is that I do not write more. I give in to unnecessary timesucks, so I need to eradicate them so that I can be a more productive writer. I have about a novel (or seven) lurking in my grey matter at the moment, and I am the only one paralyzing myself. So here goes. I am going to make this blog my 'morning pages' outlet. If you read this, comment if you wish. If this all seems like a bunch of navel-gazing dross, skip over it. I'm doing this for myself, so read or don't read...this isn't the stuff I care about others reading at the moment.

So what are my unnecessary timesucks...what do allow to absorb my time? Well, I suppose I spend too much time daily on silly Facebook apps...this is something as I write it that I think to myself I will be more embarrassed about in five years when I think back to all of the hours for which I have nothing important to show. Really, let's say I'm playing, um, Farmtown; all I'm really doing is participating in a very Skinner-esque activity of button pushing...but I am actually dumber that the rats or birds that Skinner tested on. They got food for their efforts. I get pretend rewards that have no value or meaning in real life. Not only that, there is really no game to the game. I feel silly now even writing it. Okay, so that is timesuck number one that will be shown the door.

Timesuck number two that has been slowly making its way out the door is clutter. It looks back at me so balefully from the garbage bag/box that is its vehicle to its new home. Take me back! it whines. But really, I have become better at turning a deaf ear on its seductive whispering.

That's it. Those are the big two...but they're huge. They keep me from writing, from being a better friend, a good sister, a wonderful mother...the list goes on. But I am saying no more! I'm starting a new life here and now. No more excuses. To get things started and get my imagination churning, I am going to choose a meme to respond to. Here goes. This comes from Sunday Stealing. Let's see what happens.


Sunday Stealing: The Strange Question Meme, Part 1

1. What is the color of your toothbrush? This shade of blue and white.

2. Name one person who made you smile today. Abigail Bowers

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Getting ready for Sunday School

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Having a good talk with my mom

5. What is your favorite candy bar? Ha! This has come up a million times this weekend. My favorite is Toblerone.

6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope

7. What is the last thing you said aloud? Do you need my help with that?

8. What is your favorite ice cream? How to choose? My absolute favorite is Edy's Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint flavor

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Ginger Green Tea

10. Do you like your wallet? I don't carry a wallet. It's just one more thing for me to misplace.

11. What was the last thing you ate? A teeny-tiny Snickers bar from my daughter's Halloween stash...with her permission, of course.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No, not even socks

13. The last sporting event you watched? The Steelers game last Sunday...until half time. Then, we listened to the rest in the car.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Just regular with hot butter.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? I don't text.

16. Ever go camping? It's one of my favorite summer activities...yes!

17. Do you take vitamins daily? I mean to, but I don't.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? No. Most, though.

19. Do you have a tan? No...burn and peel is my pattern.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? No, I like both equally. And both usually make me equally ill from overindulgence when I do have them.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? No. I don't like to use straws because someone once told me a horror story about how she went walking on a beach in Jersey only to see a bunch of straws washed up on the beach. Seems that someone's garbage that had been dumped in the ocean had broken open and made a mess. Straws aren't a necessity, so I don't like to use them.

22. What did your last text message say? No texting here.

23. What are you doing tomorrow? There is a list...daughter to school, TB test read, lunch with a good buddy, cleaning, reading, writing, dance class taxi, dinner-making, homework supervising, bedtime ritualling.

24. Favorite color? I go back and forth between blue and green all of the time.

25. Look to your left; what do you see? Part of the couch, pillows, and an afghan that my husband is supposed to repair for his mother.

So, this is the beginning. I'll be back tomorrow.