Here's a story, of a lovely lady...
My good friend and padna in crime Sugar Mama is just one of the lovely ladies whose writing is featured in the Mothering Heights Manual for Motherhood.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
16
I see it now like an island I once saw off the deck of a friends house. "Is that an island?" I asked, not sure if I should trust what I thought I was seeing. Then I felt stupid for asking, because, of course, if it were an island, I would have surely seen it before and it wouldn't have just appeared, from nothingness and floated to the surface far out in the waters of the Pacific. It turned out that it was indeed an island and that I simply hadn't noticed it before. That or something had obscured my view of it, the weather, the glare of the sun. Regardless, it existed. It had been there all along, just like my life twenty years ago did. A solid mass of something, floating just far enough out in my memory to make me squint and try and remember if what I'm recalling is real or just something I think I remember. After all, two years of one's life is only a sliver of the whole, nothing that should really amount to much, but it has.
There's a confidence you have when you're sixteen, similar to that of a preschool age child. I can do it by myself, I don't need your help kind of attitude. I'm convinced that it's a necessary stage. That without the bold determination, the veil of forced certitude, we would never experience failure, never venture past the shallow end of the pool. I was no different. I didn't want to stand out. I wanted to blend in. I was just unsure as to how I should go about it, but I figured I would adapt to my new surroundings, just as soon as I figured out where that would be.
We (my parents and I) looked at three schools altogether. The first, a Catholic school, smelled like metal lockers and tile floors. The school admissions felt my education up to this point had been unsatisfactory and I would not meet the standards of my current grade level there. I had never really had to worry about academics before and this completely threw a cog into the equation. Coming from a small town where grade level equals your status, I could not see how it could possibly be in my interest to sacrifice a year of my life for a better education. This would just not do, socially.
The second school was all too familiar. I remember it as brown. Dusty and brown with a more than camplike feel to it. I had been to camp. It was ok, I guess, but I didn't think I could ever feel clean here. Yes, these were my concerns at the time, cleanliness and social stature, even though I would know not a soul. You would think I would have been concerned over, more important things, like the academic offerings, the overall culture of the school or the college preparedness it had to offer, but these things were about as relevant to my sixteen year old mind as an IRA or balanced diet. Quite simply, as long as it was the place I had imagined, the boarding school that existed on Facts of Life and in my mind, I could deal with all the other issues that might come along. At sixteen, image is everything...even in your own mind's eye.
to be continued...
There's a confidence you have when you're sixteen, similar to that of a preschool age child. I can do it by myself, I don't need your help kind of attitude. I'm convinced that it's a necessary stage. That without the bold determination, the veil of forced certitude, we would never experience failure, never venture past the shallow end of the pool. I was no different. I didn't want to stand out. I wanted to blend in. I was just unsure as to how I should go about it, but I figured I would adapt to my new surroundings, just as soon as I figured out where that would be.
We (my parents and I) looked at three schools altogether. The first, a Catholic school, smelled like metal lockers and tile floors. The school admissions felt my education up to this point had been unsatisfactory and I would not meet the standards of my current grade level there. I had never really had to worry about academics before and this completely threw a cog into the equation. Coming from a small town where grade level equals your status, I could not see how it could possibly be in my interest to sacrifice a year of my life for a better education. This would just not do, socially.
The second school was all too familiar. I remember it as brown. Dusty and brown with a more than camplike feel to it. I had been to camp. It was ok, I guess, but I didn't think I could ever feel clean here. Yes, these were my concerns at the time, cleanliness and social stature, even though I would know not a soul. You would think I would have been concerned over, more important things, like the academic offerings, the overall culture of the school or the college preparedness it had to offer, but these things were about as relevant to my sixteen year old mind as an IRA or balanced diet. Quite simply, as long as it was the place I had imagined, the boarding school that existed on Facts of Life and in my mind, I could deal with all the other issues that might come along. At sixteen, image is everything...even in your own mind's eye.
to be continued...
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wondertwin Powers
I know two moms. They are no ordinary moms. They are the moms of twins. And while I admire these women for their limitless creativity and shake my head in wonder at their mommy technique, I secretly hate them. OK, hate is a bit strong, it's just that moms of twins blow the curve for the rest of us moms of singles. They seem to possess some superhuman quality, a wonder twin power, that makes parenting look effortless and still leaves them with time and energy to write a book or start a new business.
Stephanie Klein, is the author of a new book that is being released today! Moose a memoir of fat camp, is Stephanie's second book and is sure to be a great read. If you're looking for something fun to do tonight, head down to Bookpeople here in Austin for her release party. Leave it to Stephanie to throw a party in the middle of a bookstore, complete with camp food and spiked bug juice. You will become a fan before you even read the first chapter. See the video teaser at the bottom of this page...Hilarious.
Sara Crowe is the owner and mastermind behind a little nugget of genius called GoodyTubes. Imagine opening your door to find a 36 inch tube, chock-full of everything good and fun at your feet. My kids received a GoodyTube from their Aunt Nancy a couple of months ago and had as much fun playing with the jacks, balls and other toys as they did with the tube itself. Candy, gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels and salt and vinegar popcorn were also in the kid themed tubes they received. This is the perfect care package for military personnel or kid away at camp, not to mention a totally memorable corporate gift. Sara is also in the midst of launching a new website, EventsGuaranteed.com. This will be THE go-to site for all your party planning needs. They've covered it all from baby shower ideas to webinars and ebooks on corporate events. The site will be officially launched sometime in July!
Whew, I'm exhausted just writing about all of the things these wondertwin mommies do! You know, if I could just figure out how to bottle their secret power, I just might have something.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
