There has been much said about the passage of time...time flies, a watched pot never boils, the days are long but the years are short, etc. I am sure you could think of a few sayings too. We all know them by heart. We are seemingly always aware of time, trying to slow down or hurry up, turn back the clock or watch the clock, capture a moment or be in the moment.
The reason I bring this up is I just had the strangest 2 weeks. And when I reflected on it as a block of time, I thought about how odd and funny all these things were all mashed up together. To me, these single moments when added up, were more than just the sum of their parts.
So here it my list of moments...in basic chronological order.
1. Henry loses his first tooth
2. School starts...and we have an earthquake.
3. Hurricane Irene hits...high winds, lots of rain
4. No power or running water for 4 days
5. School is cancelled for 2 days
6. Henry accidently swallows a metal piece of a toy airplane
7. Power back on (YAY!) and school resumes (BOO!)
8. Armed with rubber gloves and a plastic fork, I begin the stoole search for the lost airplane piece, in a bucket on the deck, everyday.
9.Caroline picks the cello for her school strings intrument
10. Henry slides hands first into a gigantic fresh pile of dog poop at the soccer field
11. Someone has abandoned 2 domesticated pot-belly pigs in a fenced area at Jack's soccer practice and they begin to mate in front of a crowd of on-lookers.
12. Henry loses 2nd tooth
13. Caroline now can play the first few notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the cello.
14. Jeff tries to learn the theme to Jaws on Caroline's cello.
15. Lucy is frightened by the sound of the cello.
16. I cannot "find" the lost airplane piece.
17. After just two weeks of middle school, Jack announces he is growing his hair long.
18. At our favorite restaurant, Henry slips and drops a bowl of pad thai onto my feet ( I am wearing flip-flops).
Those were the highlights of the last 14 days of my life. Some things were amazing, some funny, others extremely digusting. But when rewound and replayed in my mind, I guess it was just life being life...time being filled with living. So here I sit, wondering what the next two weeks will bring...Tornados? Splinters? Aliens? But most of all, the question that has been nagging me the most is where in heaven is that piece of airplane?
Carpe Diem!
-Meghan
Monday, September 5, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Americana on Elliott Place
As you might have noticed, I did not fulfill my own challenge to have 7 posts in 7 days. I blew it on Day 5, I believe - Lol! In my planning, I knew I would be away for the 4th of July weekend, and hoped I would be able to stockpile a few blogs and publish daily. That didn't happen :-) I may have failed the challenge but I was successful in kickstarting my writing. In just those few days, I wrote more than I had written in all the time since I created Veni-Vidi-Scripti. Yay!
So in the spirit of challenge and overcoming adversity, I bring you my take on something awesome that happened over the weekend. Two things actually...and they both had to do with spirit and perseverance. One happened ON Elliott Place and the other IN Germany but I watched from Elliott Place.
The first...The Sykes Lemonade Stand, manned all weekend by Caroline and Henry.
They hatched the plan on Friday night. Caroline was so excited she could hardly sleep! Saturday morning dawned bright, hot, and very humid...perfect for thirsty customers. We set up the beach umbrella, table, ice cooler, and lemonade pitchers. Then they sat and waited...
They ran the stand for 5 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. If you build it, they will come. And come the customers did - neighbors, cyclists, dog walkers, beach-goers, Sunday drivers. Their best customers by far were the biker dudes.These barrel-chested, bearded guys would drive up and park, purchase, recycle the cup, and off they roared on their hogs. I don't think these guys could resist two kids with a checkered tablecloth selling good, old-fashioned lemonade. Too funny!
Jeff and I were really proud of our kids. They handled their stand like pros, waiting on customers, counting money, making change. They had the patience to sit out in the blasted heat for two days, never complaining once. Anyone who has kids, been around kids, or ever been a kid will understand that in itself is a minor miracle! They were so determined and serious about it, I finally had to buy the last two cups on Saturday just so we all could go to the beach.
YOU GO, GIRLS!
On Sunday, I may have been in my living room on Elliott Place, but my heart was in Dresden, Germany! The second awesome thing-- the Women's FIFA soccer game between Brazil and U.S.A. . This game was a doozy! I watched it live and I am not one for sitting inside on a summer day to watch sports. But I hardly sat...I cheered, I cried, I cheered some more, I jumped up and down, I pumped my fists.
There was drama, oh boy! Bad calls, yellow cards, a red card, amazing plays and athleticism, but what I will remember most is how the entire team never gave up, never pouted or showed poor sportsmanship. Our USA women showed the world an amazing display the HUMAN spirit. I can't recall the last time a women's sporting event captured the front page of The Washington Post...above the crease, mind you!
This weekend the American entrepreneurial spirit was alive and prospering in front of 116 Elliott Place and the American Girl Power was being cheered inside 116 Elliott Place.
I raise my glass of ice-cold lemonade to spirit and perseverance!
--Meghan
So in the spirit of challenge and overcoming adversity, I bring you my take on something awesome that happened over the weekend. Two things actually...and they both had to do with spirit and perseverance. One happened ON Elliott Place and the other IN Germany but I watched from Elliott Place.
The first...The Sykes Lemonade Stand, manned all weekend by Caroline and Henry.
They hatched the plan on Friday night. Caroline was so excited she could hardly sleep! Saturday morning dawned bright, hot, and very humid...perfect for thirsty customers. We set up the beach umbrella, table, ice cooler, and lemonade pitchers. Then they sat and waited...
They ran the stand for 5 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. If you build it, they will come. And come the customers did - neighbors, cyclists, dog walkers, beach-goers, Sunday drivers. Their best customers by far were the biker dudes.These barrel-chested, bearded guys would drive up and park, purchase, recycle the cup, and off they roared on their hogs. I don't think these guys could resist two kids with a checkered tablecloth selling good, old-fashioned lemonade. Too funny!
Jeff and I were really proud of our kids. They handled their stand like pros, waiting on customers, counting money, making change. They had the patience to sit out in the blasted heat for two days, never complaining once. Anyone who has kids, been around kids, or ever been a kid will understand that in itself is a minor miracle! They were so determined and serious about it, I finally had to buy the last two cups on Saturday just so we all could go to the beach.
YOU GO, GIRLS!
On Sunday, I may have been in my living room on Elliott Place, but my heart was in Dresden, Germany! The second awesome thing-- the Women's FIFA soccer game between Brazil and U.S.A. . This game was a doozy! I watched it live and I am not one for sitting inside on a summer day to watch sports. But I hardly sat...I cheered, I cried, I cheered some more, I jumped up and down, I pumped my fists.
There was drama, oh boy! Bad calls, yellow cards, a red card, amazing plays and athleticism, but what I will remember most is how the entire team never gave up, never pouted or showed poor sportsmanship. Our USA women showed the world an amazing display the HUMAN spirit. I can't recall the last time a women's sporting event captured the front page of The Washington Post...above the crease, mind you!
This weekend the American entrepreneurial spirit was alive and prospering in front of 116 Elliott Place and the American Girl Power was being cheered inside 116 Elliott Place.
I raise my glass of ice-cold lemonade to spirit and perseverance!
--Meghan
Friday, July 1, 2011
Do you Haiku?
Hello, my name is Meghan and I am a Haiku-aholic.
It is no secret. . .I love poetry! Caroline's 2nd grade class did a unit in Haiku and it reawakened my interest a few months ago. I have started keeping a little journal and jotting things down here and there. If you aren't familiar with Haiku . . . I pulled the following off a Haiku website for a brief 4-1-1.
"Haiku is both a type of poetic pattern and a way of experiencing the world. This short, 17-syllable form, usually written in three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable count, focuses our attention on a single, insightful moment. Closely tied to the Japanese aesthetic of Yugen and the spirituality of Buddhism, Haiku looks deceptively simple, yet can take years to master."
It may take years to master but the Sykes family sure had some haiku fun over dinner the other night. Before you envision our family going all high-brow reciting poetry together, I will warn you that Henry did work his all-time favorite word, "fartlips", into one of the poems. Leave it to my boys to discover Haiku works very well with bathroom humor.
We went around the table, each person adding one word in the 5-7-5 syllable count in the poem, until it was completed.
It is my honor to present to you, the Sykes Family Dinner Haiku. . .
"Dinner"
Plates of fresh rockfish
noodles with dressing pad thai
lime in glass cold wine.
"Watermelon"
Watermelon grows!
delicious juicy seedless
ripe for the picking!
"The Dog"
The dog smells like poo
ears like velvet rainbows
scratching paws and tail.
And last but not least...
"Farts"
Melting, squinting toots!
fartlips - gross! Butt burps, oh my!
Brown turtle is near.
And there you have it, our dinner haiku! I hope this hasn't turned you against haiku or turned your stomach in any way ;-) . It was a different and fun way to share the dinner table with my husband and kids. I hope to share with you some of my other haiku in future posts. I am not worried about that "years to master" stuff.
So...do you haiku?
--Meghan
It is no secret. . .I love poetry! Caroline's 2nd grade class did a unit in Haiku and it reawakened my interest a few months ago. I have started keeping a little journal and jotting things down here and there. If you aren't familiar with Haiku . . . I pulled the following off a Haiku website for a brief 4-1-1.
"Haiku is both a type of poetic pattern and a way of experiencing the world. This short, 17-syllable form, usually written in three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable count, focuses our attention on a single, insightful moment. Closely tied to the Japanese aesthetic of Yugen and the spirituality of Buddhism, Haiku looks deceptively simple, yet can take years to master."
It may take years to master but the Sykes family sure had some haiku fun over dinner the other night. Before you envision our family going all high-brow reciting poetry together, I will warn you that Henry did work his all-time favorite word, "fartlips", into one of the poems. Leave it to my boys to discover Haiku works very well with bathroom humor.
We went around the table, each person adding one word in the 5-7-5 syllable count in the poem, until it was completed.
It is my honor to present to you, the Sykes Family Dinner Haiku. . .
"Dinner"
Plates of fresh rockfish
noodles with dressing pad thai
lime in glass cold wine.
"Watermelon"
Watermelon grows!
delicious juicy seedless
ripe for the picking!
"The Dog"
The dog smells like poo
ears like velvet rainbows
scratching paws and tail.
And last but not least...
"Farts"
Melting, squinting toots!
fartlips - gross! Butt burps, oh my!
Brown turtle is near.
And there you have it, our dinner haiku! I hope this hasn't turned you against haiku or turned your stomach in any way ;-) . It was a different and fun way to share the dinner table with my husband and kids. I hope to share with you some of my other haiku in future posts. I am not worried about that "years to master" stuff.
So...do you haiku?
--Meghan
High Adventure on Summer Day
The trip was planned for a week.
Shovels? Check!
Sifters? Check!
Food, water, bathing suits, towels, sunscreen? Check!
The kids, a few neigbors from our Elliott Place Posse, and I were ready...to seek, to strive, and not to yield until we found what we came for. And there is a beach, tucked away in Calvert County...about 35 minutes south, called officially Bay Front Park, but known to locals as "Brownie Beach" that held our treasure.
So the Sykes crew piled out of the truck, and took off down a shady path that led to the small beach. We set up camp for the day near some steep cliffs, then the hunt began. We used our hands, shovels, and sifters...and Brownie Beach did not disappoint! We quickly started to find the prehistoric treasures we sought...shark teeth!
Brownie Beach is known locally as THE place to find shark teeth because as the cliffs are worn away by time and tide, more teeth get uncovered.
We found hammerhead and snaggle-tooth shark teeth, as a paper guide in Jack's fossil kit told us. The kids took breaks in the day by swimming and then climbing on the cliffs.
All totaled at the end of the day, over 100 shark teeth!
Not too shabby for our rookie attempt at shark teeth hunting.
The kids had eagle eyes and gobs of patience in their hours of searching.
High adventure on a summer day,
--Meghan
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Hot Coffee...
Ever heard of the woman who spilled coffee from McDonald's in her lap, sued them, and won millions? Her name was Stella Liebeck...the cup of coffee was 180 degrees and scalded her groin area so badly that she needed surgery and skin graphs. Her life was never the same. Though she only sued for medical costs, a jury awarded her $2.86 million in punitive costs. However permanent her injuries, pain, and suffering were...Stella's case has become synomous with frivilous lawsuits.
In a powerful new documentary titled "Hot Coffee", filmmaker Susan Saladoff showcases how this case ushered in an era of damage award caps and mandatory arbitration, and how America's big business has eroded the rights of plantiffs everywhere.
Ok...I hear you now...tort reform? mandatory abitration? award caps? This may sound like a recipe for insomnia but don't be too quick to judge (no pun intended!). This documentary has taken Sundance by storm and was purchased by HBO...it premiered on HBO on Monday night and I loved it. I found it completely fascinating. Saladoff does an excellent job highlighting high profile cases and explaining how the changes in our legal system has affected people... and more importantly how these changes could affect you.
So if you have HBO, check your listings. If you are a NetFlixer, put it in the que. I highly recommend it... you may come away from watching it angry, but you will understand your rights as a consumer, employee, plantiff much, much better. Consider it a brush-up on your legal IQ.
So watch"Hot Coffee" the movie and find out what happened to Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Corp. (Hint: She never recieves her $2.86 million! Imagine that!) And buy your coffee at Starbuck's, for pete's sake! Or better yet, brew your own!
--Meghan
In a powerful new documentary titled "Hot Coffee", filmmaker Susan Saladoff showcases how this case ushered in an era of damage award caps and mandatory arbitration, and how America's big business has eroded the rights of plantiffs everywhere.
Ok...I hear you now...tort reform? mandatory abitration? award caps? This may sound like a recipe for insomnia but don't be too quick to judge (no pun intended!). This documentary has taken Sundance by storm and was purchased by HBO...it premiered on HBO on Monday night and I loved it. I found it completely fascinating. Saladoff does an excellent job highlighting high profile cases and explaining how the changes in our legal system has affected people... and more importantly how these changes could affect you.
So if you have HBO, check your listings. If you are a NetFlixer, put it in the que. I highly recommend it... you may come away from watching it angry, but you will understand your rights as a consumer, employee, plantiff much, much better. Consider it a brush-up on your legal IQ.
So watch"Hot Coffee" the movie and find out what happened to Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Corp. (Hint: She never recieves her $2.86 million! Imagine that!) And buy your coffee at Starbuck's, for pete's sake! Or better yet, brew your own!
--Meghan
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I am still alive in Blogger World!
This blog probably should have been titled "I came, I saw, I never wrote"! Where have almost 5 months gone since my last entry? Wow. It was a wicked busy spring with life at the Sykes household. I thought about writing A LOT but there was very little time to pause, to reflect, or even to sleep - so Veni-Vidi-Scripti had to take a back burner. There are only so many hours of the day, ya know? As much as I hate to admit, I can't do everything.
But that was then and this is now! It is Summer! Yay! Sports are finished. The kids are off from school (or as they like to call it "Kid Prison"). The jellyfish have yet to make their dreaded appearance at our beach, so we have been beaching it almost everyday possible. The flow and structure of our day definitely has been dialed down a few notches in the last two weeks.
With this new summer schedule, I am challenging myself to write some blogs -to kickstart summer and my blogging habits. There will be a post everyday for the next 7 days. Yep, you read correctly. One entire week of blogs...from the writer that has been silent for 5 months! Will I be able to keep up that pace? 7 blogs? I have only one idea for the next blog - so who knows what this will force me to write about - lol! So please stay tuned and find out.
I hope you are out there enjoying your summer too. Here's to the summer downshift, to recharging and getting inspired.
--Meghan
But that was then and this is now! It is Summer! Yay! Sports are finished. The kids are off from school (or as they like to call it "Kid Prison"). The jellyfish have yet to make their dreaded appearance at our beach, so we have been beaching it almost everyday possible. The flow and structure of our day definitely has been dialed down a few notches in the last two weeks.
With this new summer schedule, I am challenging myself to write some blogs -to kickstart summer and my blogging habits. There will be a post everyday for the next 7 days. Yep, you read correctly. One entire week of blogs...from the writer that has been silent for 5 months! Will I be able to keep up that pace? 7 blogs? I have only one idea for the next blog - so who knows what this will force me to write about - lol! So please stay tuned and find out.
I hope you are out there enjoying your summer too. Here's to the summer downshift, to recharging and getting inspired.
--Meghan
Monday, February 14, 2011
Ode to Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day at our house is a simple one. A lovely family dinner with candles and homemade valentines for all. Period. The kids are all still on sugar-highs from classroom parties with cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, and tons of candy valentines - I can hear them running around outside in the wind, playing and screaming like banshees.
I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day in the "Hallmark - Every Kiss Begins with Kay" kind of way, but one of the things I like to think about on Valentine's Day is poetry. Poetry is one of my great loves - words that convey emotions, simple stanzas with deep meaning. Love written about in poetry is simple too. It can transcend time and place. Love (and poetry) doesn't cost any money, wither in a few days, or put on any extra pounds. One of my favorite poets is E.E. Cummings. He doesn't use poem titles, capital letters or conventional stanza form - read on...
Have a Happy Valentine's Day...whatever you carry in your heart today!
...and remember the three words women love to hear most:
"I'll clean up." :-)
I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day in the "Hallmark - Every Kiss Begins with Kay" kind of way, but one of the things I like to think about on Valentine's Day is poetry. Poetry is one of my great loves - words that convey emotions, simple stanzas with deep meaning. Love written about in poetry is simple too. It can transcend time and place. Love (and poetry) doesn't cost any money, wither in a few days, or put on any extra pounds. One of my favorite poets is E.E. Cummings. He doesn't use poem titles, capital letters or conventional stanza form - read on...
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Have a Happy Valentine's Day...whatever you carry in your heart today!
...and remember the three words women love to hear most:
"I'll clean up." :-)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Birthdays and Deathdays
I don't do 'deathdays'. I am putting that out there right now. I do not like acknowledging the anniversaries of death. I don't even know that exact day my dad died. I didn't like that day, nope - not in the least - so I don't spend any time remembering it. Phooey on you, August somewhere-in-the-teens! At the very most, I give a cool nod to the passing of another year and go on about my business. It is just a date.
Now birthdays, on the other hand, are a different animal altogether. My dad's birthday is today, February 11. And we just celebrated my brother, Tim's 40th birthday (January 29th) and my sister-in-law, Kim's (February 1st). Birthdays are cool. Although birthdays are just a 'date' too, they are the universally accepted beginning date of this life that we now know. Beginnings are full of potential, the sky is the limit, the world is your oyster type of stuff. We all start on the level playing field of newborn babydom on our birthdays - mewling little bundles of life and spirit.
Ask any mother about birthdays, you most likely receive a story in amazing detail. I remember asking my late-grandmother about the day my dad was born. Instantly, she smiled and sat up a little straighter - recalling amazing details about that day in 1943, like she was still a giddy new mom. Those days are tattooed on the brains of mothers. Birthdays are some good days in life.
I like to think about my dad on his birthday. We would be celebrating with possibly some Key Lime Pie or Carrot Cake. He was an amazing person - wonderful dad, friend, counselor, dreamer, sailor, and fighter. I could write a book about what he was and still is to me. I read the lyrics to a song and it seemed to fit him perfectly...
Who are you going to be? Your birthday is the beginning of your story - on Earth, right now. Having said that, ironically I don't believe that death is the end of your story either. It may be an end to a chapter. It may be another beginning. Whatever you believe about life and hereafter, try to make your story - on Earth, right now - the best one possible. Dream! Live! Love! Carpe Diem!
Dad, Happy Birthday - I love you!
Now birthdays, on the other hand, are a different animal altogether. My dad's birthday is today, February 11. And we just celebrated my brother, Tim's 40th birthday (January 29th) and my sister-in-law, Kim's (February 1st). Birthdays are cool. Although birthdays are just a 'date' too, they are the universally accepted beginning date of this life that we now know. Beginnings are full of potential, the sky is the limit, the world is your oyster type of stuff. We all start on the level playing field of newborn babydom on our birthdays - mewling little bundles of life and spirit.
Ask any mother about birthdays, you most likely receive a story in amazing detail. I remember asking my late-grandmother about the day my dad was born. Instantly, she smiled and sat up a little straighter - recalling amazing details about that day in 1943, like she was still a giddy new mom. Those days are tattooed on the brains of mothers. Birthdays are some good days in life.
I like to think about my dad on his birthday. We would be celebrating with possibly some Key Lime Pie or Carrot Cake. He was an amazing person - wonderful dad, friend, counselor, dreamer, sailor, and fighter. I could write a book about what he was and still is to me. I read the lyrics to a song and it seemed to fit him perfectly...
"And although I may not
Know all the answers
I can finally say I am free
And if the questions
Lead me here, then
I am who I was born to be"
Who are you going to be? Your birthday is the beginning of your story - on Earth, right now. Having said that, ironically I don't believe that death is the end of your story either. It may be an end to a chapter. It may be another beginning. Whatever you believe about life and hereafter, try to make your story - on Earth, right now - the best one possible. Dream! Live! Love! Carpe Diem!
Dad, Happy Birthday - I love you!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
My "25 Things" List
A couple of years ago, the "25 Things" list was a big deal on Facebook. FBers would create a list of things about themselves and post for their friends to read. Some lists I read were very insightful, others were just plain silly, however the whole process was interesting to me. If you could only write 25 things about yourself, what would I choose to list? If you can excuse the self-absorption factor for a moment, I wrote and posted my 25 things back then and thought I would recycle them for my blog.
My 25 Things
1. I grew up and worked on my family’s produce farm, was home-schooled for a number of years, am the youngest of three, and am the only girl. I spent my summers running free and mostly barefoot. My favorite crops were (and still are) strawberries and pumpkins.
2. I love fixing gross stuff like infected splinters, pulling out teeth, peeling sun-burned skin, gunky eyes, etc.
3. Pet peeves: I hate the feeling of sand in my mouth or grit in my salad, when people grind their teeth or
crack their necks, complainers/whiners.
4. Major, major peeves: ethic slurs/racist jokes and people who hurt children.
5. I dance like there is nobody watching.
6. If a messy house is a happy one, then the Sykes family home is deliriously happy.
7. I love quotes.
8. Something that never, ever ceases to amaze me: Man’s inhumanity to man.
9. I think cow manure smells sweet, but can gag to the point of vomiting if I step in fresh dog crap.
10. I think my husband is handsome, love the way he looks in a suit, and am totally envious of his navigational skills on and off the water. He can always make me laugh, especially when he does his fake, adult laugh.
11. I am not allergic to anything except Nicholas Sparks novels.
12. One difficult thing about being a mother: being told (with love) when you have stinky breath, your butt is getting fat, you have wrinkles and yellow “pirate” teeth.
13. One funny thing about being a mother: The questions! For example…
Ø Why does Susan’s mother have a nose like a pig?
Ø Why do these peas taste like chapstick?
Ø Why does Gus (our old dog) have freckles on his penis?
14. When I was little, I liked to pick ticks off our farm dogs and secretly put them in my brother's (Tim) hair so I could pull them out later (see #2). (Note: it is not my fault he got Lyme Disease…years later, different ticks.)
15. I wrote the words of our entire wedding ceremony.
16. The worst time in my life was when my dad died. Jeff had to leave on business for three months the same week and I was completely numb from a tsunami of grief, but I had three little children depending on me. I just told myself over and over – You will be alright, you can do this, one minute of the day at a time.
17. When I was a kid, I was a sleepwalker – most notably during a summer vacation at Bethany Beach, Delaware - my mom found me walking down the boardwalk to main street in just a t-shirt and underwear.
18. I love Stephen Colbert.
19. Sometimes when my kids won’t listen to me – I become Jo Frost, the Super Nanny, and talk with a British accent. They think it is funny and forget about being defiant or slapping/punching/kicking each other…at least for a little while.
20. I think ‘truck nuts’ are just about the silliest thing I have ever seen.
21. I squeeze the toothpaste from the top, tend to leave the bread bag open and the milk out for hours, and don't memorize phone numbers.
22. I wish it weren’t unhealthy to be tan. I love being tan darnit!
23. I would like to learn how to whistle through my teeth…one of those ear-splitting, hailing-a-taxi, calling-a-lost-dog whistles.
24. “God Bless America!” is my fake way of cussing when my children are around. But I sometimes wonder if they are going to grow up thinking you always say “God Bless America!” growling, through gritted teeth.
25. With all my heart – I believe in myself.
My 25 Things
1. I grew up and worked on my family’s produce farm, was home-schooled for a number of years, am the youngest of three, and am the only girl. I spent my summers running free and mostly barefoot. My favorite crops were (and still are) strawberries and pumpkins.
2. I love fixing gross stuff like infected splinters, pulling out teeth, peeling sun-burned skin, gunky eyes, etc.
3. Pet peeves: I hate the feeling of sand in my mouth or grit in my salad, when people grind their teeth or
crack their necks, complainers/whiners.
4. Major, major peeves: ethic slurs/racist jokes and people who hurt children.
5. I dance like there is nobody watching.
6. If a messy house is a happy one, then the Sykes family home is deliriously happy.
7. I love quotes.
8. Something that never, ever ceases to amaze me: Man’s inhumanity to man.
9. I think cow manure smells sweet, but can gag to the point of vomiting if I step in fresh dog crap.
10. I think my husband is handsome, love the way he looks in a suit, and am totally envious of his navigational skills on and off the water. He can always make me laugh, especially when he does his fake, adult laugh.
11. I am not allergic to anything except Nicholas Sparks novels.
12. One difficult thing about being a mother: being told (with love) when you have stinky breath, your butt is getting fat, you have wrinkles and yellow “pirate” teeth.
13. One funny thing about being a mother: The questions! For example…
Ø Why does Susan’s mother have a nose like a pig?
Ø Why do these peas taste like chapstick?
Ø Why does Gus (our old dog) have freckles on his penis?
14. When I was little, I liked to pick ticks off our farm dogs and secretly put them in my brother's (Tim) hair so I could pull them out later (see #2). (Note: it is not my fault he got Lyme Disease…years later, different ticks.)
15. I wrote the words of our entire wedding ceremony.
16. The worst time in my life was when my dad died. Jeff had to leave on business for three months the same week and I was completely numb from a tsunami of grief, but I had three little children depending on me. I just told myself over and over – You will be alright, you can do this, one minute of the day at a time.
17. When I was a kid, I was a sleepwalker – most notably during a summer vacation at Bethany Beach, Delaware - my mom found me walking down the boardwalk to main street in just a t-shirt and underwear.
18. I love Stephen Colbert.
19. Sometimes when my kids won’t listen to me – I become Jo Frost, the Super Nanny, and talk with a British accent. They think it is funny and forget about being defiant or slapping/punching/kicking each other…at least for a little while.
20. I think ‘truck nuts’ are just about the silliest thing I have ever seen.
21. I squeeze the toothpaste from the top, tend to leave the bread bag open and the milk out for hours, and don't memorize phone numbers.
22. I wish it weren’t unhealthy to be tan. I love being tan darnit!
23. I would like to learn how to whistle through my teeth…one of those ear-splitting, hailing-a-taxi, calling-a-lost-dog whistles.
24. “God Bless America!” is my fake way of cussing when my children are around. But I sometimes wonder if they are going to grow up thinking you always say “God Bless America!” growling, through gritted teeth.
25. With all my heart – I believe in myself.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Boom - shaka-laka!
I did it! Boom-shaka-laka! I have created a blog - something I wanted to do for a long time now. I have to give credit where credit is do...my sister-in-law Kim has an awesome blog that I subscribe to and she has inspired me to get with it, and START WRITING! Thanks so much, Kim!
What is "Boom-shaka-laka" you might ask? Well, that is a recent phrase coined by Jeff that my family uses now when something good happens. Think of Tiger's fist pump or Emeril's "BAM!". Jeff usually says it with a lot of force and passion, using his whole body. Kids made their beds without being asked...Boom-shaka-laka! Earned 10cents off a gallon at the gas pump...Boom-shaka-laka! Started a blog...Boom-shaka-laka!
So I begin...I really don't know what I will write about or if will be good or interesting, for that matter. I tend to be highly critical of my own writing, so this will be an exercise to quiet my internal red pen. Shushing the red pen...Boom-shaka-laka!
What is "Boom-shaka-laka" you might ask? Well, that is a recent phrase coined by Jeff that my family uses now when something good happens. Think of Tiger's fist pump or Emeril's "BAM!". Jeff usually says it with a lot of force and passion, using his whole body. Kids made their beds without being asked...Boom-shaka-laka! Earned 10cents off a gallon at the gas pump...Boom-shaka-laka! Started a blog...Boom-shaka-laka!
So I begin...I really don't know what I will write about or if will be good or interesting, for that matter. I tend to be highly critical of my own writing, so this will be an exercise to quiet my internal red pen. Shushing the red pen...Boom-shaka-laka!
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