where are the real warning signs?

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Have you been to an amusement park lately?  I can’t pinpoint exactly when the parks were compelled to post warning signs on everything from the gentlest carousel to the centrifugal force roller coaster, but they all have them now.  Hell, even the toddler trains that safely choo choo in a circle have signs warning against the dangers of putting hands or feet outside the ride.

I mock, but Mission:SPACE at Epcot taught me that with certain rides you’re really rolling the dice when you diss the warning signs.  Roller coasters are a prime example of this.  I mean, if you’re going to be hurtling across the track at 98 mph then some advance notice seems appropriate.  The same goes for any ride that will suspend you upside down, create a sensation of weightlessness, or drop you in a free fall from 400 feet.  All important information to have before strapping yourself in for the experience.

But where are all the everyday warning signs we truly need?

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Forever Family: parenting is not for wusses

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The struggle is real.

Kids falling to pieces over what’s for dinner.  Arguments about who gets shotgun that reach fever pitch.  “He said -”  “NO, I DIDN’T!”  thrown about with the ferocity of a championship dodgeball game.  Rampant emotions raging and slammed doors shattering any semblance of peace.

Parenting is not for wusses.  And parenting kids faced with the extra issues surrounding adoption?  Well, that adds several layers of “wait, what?!” to your parenting experience.

On the other hand, it also makes the successes twice as sweet.

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sippy cups – yay v. nay

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Let’s be clear…I’m a huge fan of sippy cups.  Huge.

Sippy cups allowed my bumbling youngsters to toddle around with their drinks while saving my carpet from endless stains.  It meant they could plop down on their diapered bottoms, tipping over, without me launching off the couch trying to snatch those cups up before they went horizontal.  Sippy cups gave T-man and Bear the independence necessary to explore and play.

So sippy cups yay.

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Words Crush Wednesday – This.

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“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery – air, mountains, trees, people.  I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’ “

– Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
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Words Crush Wednesday Challenge

gratitude: rain power

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Lots of people are grateful for bright, beautiful days, the kind that warm your hair and make you turn toward the sun.  I love those, too – they remind me there is love in the world, even in the most troubling times.  Sometimes it’s this little ray of light that saves me.

But today I’m writing about another kind of day.  The sort when the sky opens, the rain pours down in buckets, and my windshield wipers have no hope of keeping up.  You wouldn’t think this particular experience would top my list seeing as I’m one of those people who can feel a little down on gloomy days.

So why am I grateful for torrential rain?

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the art of snacking

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There’s an art to snacking.  Sure, anyone can grab a handful of chips and be done with it.  But hitting your snacking needs head on?  That takes years of experience.  Decades of perfecting the nibbles.  I figure by the time I’m sixty-five I’ll have this thing down pat.

But, for now, here is my handy dandy snacking guideline.

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Share Your World #39

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A class you wish you would have taken?

Photography.

What’s your favorite comic figure and why?

I can’t say I was ever big into comic books, so that whole genre is out.  I used to read the comics religiously, though, back when we got a real newspaper.  (You know, the kind that made your fingers smudgy.)  My favorite comic is Far Side.  It always hit my funny bone.

Name something you wish you could like.

Cleaning.  I’ve heard more than one person say it gives them a sense of accomplishment, or peace in their home, or whatever, but it’s like pulling teeth for me.

Tell me about your first crush/first date/first kiss.

Can…not…compute.  Just kidding.  I wrote about my first kiss here, and apparently I’m feeling really old today because I can’t for the life of me remember my first date.  Sheesh.

Who was your best friend when you were ten?

Lesli.  She was funny and awesome and just as crazy as I was…thank goodness we kept in touch over the years.  Having her stand with me on my wedding day was incredibly special.

What sign are you?  Do you believe in astrology?

I’m an Aquarius.  Astrology is like most other things for me – some of it is dead on, some applies occasionally, and some doesn’t make sense at all.  Independent, kind hearted, live and let live?  Yes.  Stubborn and sarcastic?  Also yes.  But aloof or unemotional?  Nope.  I find astrology interesting but I don’t put a lot of stock in its accuracy.

Bonus Question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I spent a wonderful weekend at the lake.  It was filled with down time and quiet space. I fed the fish and watched the birds and sometimes just sat and listened to the world around me. I don’t know that I’ve ever appreciated that place as much as I do now.

This week we’ll be having a family dinner.  I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up.

ShareYourWorld

Cee’s Share Your World is open to any who’d like to participate.  This week’s questions were provided by kids – click on over and check it out!

What’s happening in your world?

blue heron rising

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blue-heron

He lands softly across the lake,
his reflection rippling gently
in September waters,
then slowly begins to stalk his prey
in the shallows.
Wading in and out of the light,
under low lying branches
and past grassy slopes,
hunting for lunch
with silent, steady steps.
Boats thunder by, music blaring,
and yet he stands,
still as a sentry at the castle gate.
There is quiet in the air,
a waiting filled with anticipation.
We hold our breath and watch
as the blue heron rises.

– ljh  9/24/16