Category Archives: growth

start your engines

Posted on October 19, 2011 by wendy| Comments Off

Time passes, seasons change (heard any leaves pop off lately?), and as if part of the natural course of things, the Kid has gotten craftier.

One thing of a gazillion around here that she ignores me on is that all-time kid-favorite activity: brushing her teeth.

Luckily, her haphazard dental habit has not yet caused any ulcers in me cavities. She won’t work hard at cleaning her room, or picking up her stuff, but man-O-man, will she get creative in avoiding this daily habit.

Yesterday I yelled, are you brushing? I don’t hear the toothbrush going!, and she compliantly turned it on.

Unfortunately for her, I walked by the bathroom a minute later and saw, to my utter shock and amusement, a dry toothbrush buzzing away on the counter.

Too bad her mouth was in the other room.

I confess I had a hard time not hyperventilating from laughing punishing her.

Points for creativity, right?

If she gets more crafty, I’ll have to sell her to a mustached foreigner fill every corner of the house with third grader- nanny-cams.

Are you getting crap pulled on you? Tell me I’m not alone!

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Posted in Bainbridge Island, WA, brilliant ideas, creativity, education, growth, kid

Getting Discovered

Posted on September 24, 2011 by wendy| 6 Comments

Lots of bloggers like me folks online are waiting to be discovered, hit the big time, be rich, be applauded be given free maid service and car detailing for life.

Well, years have passed with this here blog…and I’m still waiting.
*fingernails tap tap tapping*

In fact, this week officially marked another one, a birthday for little ol’ me. Okay, perhaps it should be just “old me.”

While having a margarita with a couple of friends, they surprised me with “birthday speech!” “birthday speech!”

Just ask the Hubs about me and impromptu words (hint: when surprised by our rent-a-minister saying “you can now add your own vows” during our marriage in Belize, a stunned and speechless me let the Hubs go first. And what jewel did I say after? “Uh, can I ditto?”).

There’s a reason I take improv classes…

And what wise morsels did I, a more mature Wendy, dish out for my birthday well-wishers this week?

Errrrr, the older you get, the less you know!

and

I realize now how little control you have over pretty much everything in life!

Uplifting stuff, yes? That might explain the silent, disappointed gazes…

Years ago, I thought life was a learning curve, steep at first and then totally flattening out, and then you just are.

But again I was wrong.

I’d say now that life is more like a dig, for discovering things, mostly things closely related inside you, like yourself.

And everyone is doing it, whether you are hammering with a chisel on that rock that is you, or just sitting by a river that flows rapid and rough during storms or calm and peaceful on summer days. Excess rock gets removed to reveal more of your true form in every moment, in each breeze.

So, surprise! Maybe, if you’re lucky and live long enough, you are getting discovered.

By you.

And, birthday friends, now that I’ve had time and no tequila yet today, that is my birthday wisdom for you.

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Posted in aging, brilliant ideas, growth, me-me-me

Summer is a Battlefield

Posted on June 30, 2011 by wendy| 2 Comments

Last weekend, I dragged the Let the dog in! household to a civil war re-enactment, but since the civil war was more sad than funny I know nothing about the civil war, how’s about we talk s’more about summer with the kids out of school, ‘k??

It starts off with a gorgeous image, a vision of calm, peaceful order and an appreciation of community and the natural beauty in all life.

You imagine you’ll have lovely, relaxing chats with your friends and neighbors.

As the natives declare they’re BORED get restless, you quickly realize you have a big, white target “X” on your back.

You scramble to entertain the enemy your kids with music and fun, perhaps an outdoor concert.

But even the littlest soldiers revolt.
(with the very littlest fighters yelling, “BANG,” instead of firing an actual gun)

Before the actual altercations began, you fashioned yourself the guy with the biggest, loudest gun on the field, but, alas, you need to fix a martini a reality check.

In the end, your fate turns out more like the band.

And your living room, strewn with popsicle sticks dead bodies that no one is picking up…

If you’re lucky, some summer camp instructor angelic vision will come to pray for your soul.

What month is this? September, right? Whaaa?

Do you have war on your hands or a peace treaty?

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Posted in creativity, events, growth, outside, parenting, venting, weirdo

Summer Imagined v. Summer Real

Posted on June 24, 2011 by wendy| 7 Comments


Are you having this problem? In your head, you figured when school let out that you and your kids would do all kinds of amazing projects, day trips, maybe even camping?

Then, two days into it you realize you have serious crankiness issues.

And not just with the kids, but with yourself.

We were going to make art books. Instead, we are making ice cream runs.

We were going to go to the beach. Day 1, we got the bottom of our foot scraped by barnacles and are “never going back to the beach again!”

We were going to read, read, read. Instead, we are marathoning Phineas and Ferb.

I guess there is still too much time to correct course, but each summer I forget my margarita recipe the uphill battle from the year before. Same soldiers, different battlefield…

So, how’s your summer going? Are you doing what you intended to do?

And most importantly, do you have a good, strong cocktail recipe to share?

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Posted in Bainbridge Island, WA, growth, kid, outside, parenting, questions, venting

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Intimacy 101

Posted on June 23, 2011 by wendy| 7 Comments

Continue reading →

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Posted in brilliant ideas, growth, marriage

what did you accidentally throw away?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by wendy| 6 Comments

Recently a friend okay, fine, it was me accidentally probably just misplaced for an indeterminate period of time threw away a government document relating to an automobile. Ahem.

So, what’s a law-abiding citizen to do? Call the governmental office? Get the low down on such situations?

As if. It’s 2011. I googled, of course. But I got distracted.

You google this phrase: “accidentally threw away.”

Guess what? People are freakin’ nuts have thrown away tons of embarrassing stuff by accident and then went online to admit it to the world.

You name it, it’s been thrown away: homework, earrings, Macbook Air computer, a mattress with $1 million dollars in it, her diaphragm sorry, dude, her birth control pills maybe it’s just not meant to be, a high school diploma, a retainer sorry, mom and dad, car registration not me, of course! okay, yes, me, grandma’s urn (well, donated anyways…), tools (not an issue here, as the Hubs never puts throws anything away, let alone his precious tools!), personal memorabilia of your spouse’s sure, that was an accident…, concert tickets, and worst of all, original artwork at a gallery (actually, it was shaped like a garbage bag, so whatdya gonna do?).

No wonder our landfills are land fulls!

Come on, your turn. Confess. No one is looking really, that’s true, not counting my mom, what did you accidentally throw away?

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Posted in Bainbridge Island, WA, brilliant ideas, education, growth, life is good, questions, weirdo

A Quickie Writing Prompt for the Writers!

Posted on April 17, 2011 by wendy| Comments Off

Hey, gang! Because I went to the Field’s End Writers’ Conference this past weekend, you get to benefit!

I went to a breakout session conducted by playwright Elizabeth Heffron, and she offered a four line, two character (potentially three) writing prompt with about five minutes to write.

Amazing, the different directions people went with it. I hope you’ll use it and put your own amazing results in a comment here (or post on your own site with a link here so we can share)!

Here’s the prompt:

A: Hey.
B: Shhhh, he’s (or she’s) sleeping.
A: Who is that?
B: What do you mean?

Here’s my scene from that starting point:
A: Hey.
B: Shhh, he’s sleeping.
A: Who is that?
B: What do you mean?
A: Who is back there? I hear snoring.
B: Well…
A: Is that your boyfriend? Are you with someone?
B: I never asked you to come over.
A: I wanted to see you.
B: Maybe we can meet somewhere, later.
A: Let’s go now. I need to talk.
B: Now’s not a good time. Maybe…?
A: No. Just come with me. I wanted to tell you. I left my wife.
B: What?
A: I said I would.
B: I never expected–
A: But I love you!
B: Shhh!
A: Marie, I mean it! I left her! I’m sure we can work out a good joint custody arrangement. I’m yours!
B: Oh.
A: I even called a lawyer.
B: Really?
A: Yes, Frank Carls.
B: Frank? You called Frank?
A: Oh, you know Frank? I’ve heard he’s the best around.
B: Yes, he’s very successful.
C: Hey, Hon, who’re you talking to out there?
B: Oh, no one, Frank. Wrong house. Someone lost.
A: Marie!
B: G’bye, Joe.
A: But I–!
(Door shuts.)

Now, you out there (yes, you) get writing!

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Posted in brilliant ideas, creativity, education, events, growth, me-me-me, writing