Something About Lucy

"I want to learn how to ride a unicorn."

This is a famous Lucy quote.  She was five years old when she said this in reply to this question, er, series of questions: "Honey, what sport do you want to play? Soccer? Tennis?  What do you want to sign up for?  What do you want to learn to do?"

While I love my daughter's imagination and creative thinking, it can also be maddening.   We have never pushed her to join a group or a team.  Encouraged? Yes, but never pushed or pressured.  Lucy is a brilliant, funny, creative, brave little girl.  I've always thought/known she was a go-to-the-beat-of-her-own-drum kind of girl, which I can kind of relate to.  

Lucy is a throw your head back and soak it up kind of kid.
"Mom, I LOVE being alive!," she exclaimed while we were on a nature walk the other day.

But in this world of Tiger Moms and Helicopter Parents, I feel conflicted.  I don't know if I should be pressuring her more, pushing her more.  I don't care if she is the best tennis player or the best actress in community theater, I just want her to feel connected.  I want her to have a place where she belongs.  I want her to have a group she is a part of.  I want her to know how wonderful she is.  I want her to hold onto this sense of wonder and joy forever.  I want her to have opportunities to express her self and learn and grow and shine and share that something, that special something about Lucy.

"Guess what, you are going to an audition," I told her yesterday.

"No I'm not," she replied.

I knew she wouldn't be thrilled with my great idea of trying out for the youth theater down the road.  I mean come on! Lucy plus drama + creative people + audience= perfect combination.    But Lucy is more street performer than theat-ah diva.  She is the girl that goes for the laugh or the look from strangers in line at the grocery store or on the playground rather than the school play.  She is the girl that likes making her own rules, being her own group, getting lost in her own imagination.  And again, I totally get it, but I'm the parent, I'm supposed to push and pressure, right?

"I'm not going and you can't make me," she said both defiant and hurt, with how-could-you?-sad-eyes, like I had just told her we weren't going to celebrate Christmas anymore.

Our "discussion" went on for a long time and neither one of us walked away feeling very happy.

I explained how I wanted her to try new things, how it gets harder to try new things as you get older, how much I love her, how I want good things for her.

"Thank you, but the answer is still no," she said.

For a minute I turned into a wacky mom from a bad reality show and promised milkshakes and presents if she'd just go to the damn audition for Christ's sake.  But only her brothers got into that idea, pleading with her to go so they could all get milkshakes.  Lucy was unimpressed and called me out on my bribing tactics.

After a few tears (mine) and some time, I stopped fighting it and she did not go to the audition.  While I struggled to let it go, she moved on.  She moved on to writing stories and making up stories.  She and Wade were candy superheros at her brother's baseball game, fighting crime with their secret weapon--Swedish Fish-- and her pink cape/scarf/headdress.  

She came over to me at the game to talk.  I thought it might be about our my somewhat emotional afternoon, but it wasn't.

"Do you know how to read comic books?," she asked/challenged, handing me a comic book she just happened to have in her bag.

I read with gusto and she replied, "Not bad mom, not bad at all, for a grown up."

There's just something about Lucy.  She's magic and light, wit and wonder.  

I'm madly in love with this little girl, but that doesn't mean I know how to parent her.  It doesn't mean I know how to not put all my fears and my own issues onto her.  It just means that I love her and I'll keep trying to fill her up with love.  I will honor her sense of adventure and joy and imagination.  

But I will still try to get her to audition next year. I mean right?

Do you have kids that go to the beat of their own drums?  Do you feel conflicted between letting them be themselves and pushing them to try new things?

In Love With Home

We weren't supposed to fall in love with our home.  It's a rental.  Not a fancy rental. In fact, we intentionally picked out a not-so-fancy rental because well, we aren't fancy people.  We are messy people that would rather play in the back yard than manicure it.  We are don't worry about tracking mud in the house people.  We are life's too short to worry about being perfect people.  

Source

So this not-so-fancy rental was supposed to fill a need.  We needed a roof over our head and this place provided it.  Who cares that the driveway is the worst and grows more grass in the cracks than in our actual yard? Not us.  Nope.  Roof doesn't leak, we're all good.

That was as far as it was supposed to go.  But what I've discovered is I kind of love this crappy old home.  The green walls, the nice neighbors, the quiet street, wood floors, the way the light shines through the windows in the morning...a few months ago I started to fall in a lot of like.  But then, we started hanging out on the porch this spring/summer.  And it's official, I love this crappy old rental home.

The porch is big enough for all six (seven including the dog) to spread out and do our own thing.   

 Of course the people filling up my porch are pretty wonderful, even those people that don't want to get their picture taken.

It's been an interesting up and down, little over a year since we moved into this house and it feels...not just like home, but a home we love.  And it feels good.


We are less than a week into summer vacation and aside from a couple sick Youngbloods, we are off to a good start.  Check out what we did in 2 1/2 days of summer vaca last week:


Just The Beginning- Summer 2013 from Jumping With My Fingers Crossed on Vimeo.

And here's the old(ish) song that I love so much and is all about HOME.

Ceremonies, What I Know For Sure & #iPPP

On my last day of fifth grade, the last day of my elementary school before I went to big bad middle school, the bus driver let us listen to the radio.  She cranked up the volume and all us fifth graders in the back of the bus opened the windows and let the wind blow through our hair.  I remember it vividly.  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts I Love Rock N Roll was blasting through the bus speakers.  We were all snarling our lips and banging our heads screaming how we loved rock and roll and we were going to put another dime in the jukebox baby.  I felt like I grew up a little that day, like I was ready to move on.  I got off at my stop and walked home with that Joan Jett snarl on my face and attitude like a sixth grader, like a big, bad middle schooler.

Fast forward almost 30 years and it is my own son who is having his last day of fifth grade, the last day of his elementary school before he goes to middle school.  

His last day was a bit different than mine.  It was a kinder, gentler send off.  No Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

No this day was a celebration of all their elementary school achievements.  The ceremony was basically an attempt to get every single parent in the room cry.  I personally did not let anyone down.  I cried when the kids walked into the room wearing their fancy clothes.  I cried when the teachers gave speeches.  I cried when they showed the video of the kids when they were kindergartners.  I cried when they sang So Long Farewell from The Sound of Music.  I mean, come on, you would have to be dead inside not to be moved by sweet little voices singing "good-byyyyye." 

Before I went that morning, I was a little bit judg-y, thinking my god why do we need a ceremony for everything.  Do they need to be celebrated all the damn time?  But after going and seeing all the joy, all the pride, there is no judg-y-ness.  This was a morning full of love.  I was deeply moved by how much heart and soul these teachers put into their jobs.  I was overcome with gratitude for these kids--grateful that they had this experience, with these teachers, at this school.  Parents, grandparents, siblings all filled the cafeteria clapping and crying.  It was love.  What a send off.

I showed up late (-er than everyone else, but still before it started!) and had to sit in the back row.  I've always shown up late, since kindergarten, or maybe all these parents show up early.

This ceremony felt especially emotional because this passage of time is significant.  Sure graduating from high school is major, but leaving fifth grade, leaving elementary school, that's major too.  That whole cafeteria knew that pretty big changes are ahead for these kiddos who won't be kiddos for very much longer.  Voices will change, bodies will change, hormones will dominate, eye rolling will become just part of who they are, assignments will matter more, grades will matter more, friends will matter more, their phones will matter more.  All of us in that cafeteria knew.

We also knew/know that it will be so interesting to see who these kiddos become.  What will they look like?  Will they fall in love with science in middle school or art or both?  What will their voices sound like?

So yeah, have a ceremony.  Celebrate the milestones big and small.  Honor the good moments, the good memories, the connections, the relationships.

This is the 'we have no necks' picture.

These kids may not strut off the bus with a Joan Jett snarl, but they will know they are loved and that will feel pretty good when they head off to big, bad middle school, I know that for sure.


Here's what else I know (this week):

• Forgot what the Joan Jett snarl looked like?  It's fierce.  After watching the video, imagine a school bus full of attitude-filled, suburban, midwestern kids rockin out hard to this song.  It's all very John Hughes.

• School is over and the summer can begin. Woo-hoo!

• It all goes by fast, so fast.  Here's my son's elementary school years in 6 seconds on Vine.

• Music lyrics can be a little tricky with kids.  How do you handle the whole situation?  I talk about it on my latest vlog (and how I can totally relate to a Drake song).  Check it out.

Comment, Share or Subscribe to my YouTube channel please. Click here. 

• Day one of summer vacation and we're not sick of each other yet.  In fact we are totally in sync, proven by this very natural synchronized rock skipping picture from yesterday.

• All this talk about childhood and the wonder of it all made me think of the fabulous show The Wonder Years.  I loved that show.  Here's a little flashback Friday clip.  So good.

• My puppy is driving me crazy.

She's like "yeah, so what?"

• We are all about the summer, but the weather here is less than hot.  Yesterday we huddled under towels after getting in the pool for five minutes.  Bring on the heat, we are ready for it.

What do you know for sure (this week)? C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. What's your week been like?  What are you looking forward to this summer? Tell me about it. Leave a comment here or on the Facebook page.

  Please come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

I'm linking up today with my good buddy Greta from  Gfunkified.com and Sarah at SundaySpill.com for the #iPPP link up.  They host a link up where they encourage people to share "your funny, your yummy, your heartfelt, your favorite photos of the week" from our phones.  Check them out.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood, subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here and follow my Pinterest boards here.

The ABCs of Me & Old School Blogging

I got tagged by my good friend Greta to link up to Old School Blogging questions ( Link up hosted by  Elaine and Jennifer ).  Here it goes, the A,B,C's of Me...

A. Attached or Single?  Attached for the last 15 years to Tim.  We've been married for 13 years (we got married in 2000 which is an easy way to always remember how long we've been married).

B. Best Friend? My pal Steph, although sadly our lives are crazy busy and we don't hang out so much as we want these days.

We always make time for a Madonna concert.

C. Cake or pie?  Chocolate cake and pecan pie.  After I had my first baby, I could eat an entire pecan pie (from Kroger's bakery) in one sitting.  I'm not bragging, but I do think that's kind of impressive.

D. Day of choice? I like Thursdays.  Over the hump of mid week, but still in a good routine groove, but not completely bone tired like I am by Friday nights.

E. Essential Item? My iPhone.  I am nothing without it.

F. Favorite color? I am into sea foam blue right now.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Neither.  With my fourth pregnancy I became obsessed with fruit snacks, but it was a weird phase/craving for me.

H. Hometown? Grew up in a suburb of Kalamazoo, MI, yes there really is a Kalamazoo and yes, it sort of has suburbs.  Portage, Michigan is my hometown.  But I also feel like Pittsburgh, PA raised me a little too (I lived there in my early 20s).

I. Favorite Indulgence? Other than pecan pie? Red wine.

J. January or July? July, 100 percent.  I love hot weather and not needing a coat.

K. Kids? I am a member of the Mom of Four Club. 

My Mother's Day morning full of love ( and chaos).

L. Life isn't complete without? TV,  I love television and always have.  And of course my family, but that goes without saying right?

M. Marriage date? July 22, 2000

N. Number of brothers/sisters? One older sister, two younger brothers.  I am a classic middle child.

O. Oranges or Apples? Gala apples are my fav.

P. Phobias? Frogs.  I have a severe, unexplained phobia of frogs and toads.  I scream, hyperventilate and run away when I see a frog.  I can't even look at a picture of a frog.  Even typing this right now is making me tense.  I live in fear of one of my kids bringing a frog home one day from the backyard.

Q.  Quotes? I have a bathroom wall filled with my favorite quotes in frames.  One of my favs from my bathroom is:

This was from an old ditto from a literature class in college.  Yeah, I said ditto.

R. Reasons to smile? My kids' love of life, their imaginations, their wonder and their playfulness.

My Lucy feels joy with her whole entire being and I love watching it.

Oh it may be just a pile of laundry to most people, but to Wade it is an adventure.

S. Season of choice? Summer!!!!!!  Flip flops, swimming pools and long days. I live for summertime.

T. Tag 5 People. Lisa, Farrah, Jen ( I only did 3 people, I hope I don't get kicked out of old school blogging)

U. Unknown fact about me? I bet a lot of people didn't know the frog phobia.  Another unknown thing...one time, a million years ago, I danced on a local TV show (a children's show) to Michael Jackson's Beat It (and I still remember most of the routine).   

V. Vegetable? I love peas.

W. Worst habit? Overthinking and worrying. I could win awards for being the biggest worrier, but nobody gives awards for that. Waaaa.

X. Xray or Ultrasound? If I had to choose, I guess ultrasound.

Y. Your favorite food? I am very into avocados right now.  I'm also always into pizza.

Z. Zodiac sign? Gemini.

Music, Censorship & Linking Up With Mama Kat

Music is a huge part of my life.  Huge.  I've always been the kind of person that has a song cued up for every mood, every situation.  From my record player in the old days to my iPod now.  Unfortunately, I am finding it difficult to find appropriate songs on the radio to listen to, sing along to and dance to with my kids.  Do you know what I mean?  

And what's up with the lazy censor on the radio?  You know the one where you can basically hear what the word says, but only the first consonant is left off.  I don't get it.  

I love the F word maybe more than anyone reading this, but that doesn't mean I say it in front of my kids or want them to say it or sing it.  Along with the A word, the S word and a whole slew of other words.  So what do I do?  What do you do?  

I'm linking up with Mama Kat's vlog prompts this week and talking music and my music dilemma---to censor or not to censor.  

(If you are an email subscriber click here http://youtu.be/1FLnpqbhD_Q
to watch.)

Let me know what you think, here or on Facebook.  

Share or subscribe to my YouTube channel.  I'm trying to get to 100 subscribers by August 1.  It would be crazy wonderful to be in the triple digits, seriously. 

In case you missed it, here's the vlog from last week:

(If you are an email subscriber click here http://youtu.be/Hmj9yXSlUQo to watch.)

Check her out and the other funny vloggers over on Mama Kat's Losing It.  Click here.

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood

39

Today is my birthday.  The last birthday in my third decade.  Today is the first day of the last year of my thirties.  Not that I'm being dramatic about it or anything, but it's kind of a big deal.

I mean it's 39 you guys.  I have a year left to qualify for the amazing 40 under 40 or whatever a group like that is called.  So, that means I have another year to well, um, do something amazing.  You know, like start a business or a charity or a revolution. 

Up until now, I always thought it was kind of amazing that I have held onto my sanity and sobriety.  But they don't give awards for that dummy.   

I have another year to get all the stuff done that I said I would do before 40.  Like become a fashion designer, singer, soap opera actress/photo journalist, race car driver, bongo player.  Those are a few of the things I said I'd do.  Sure I said them when I was 10, but I said them. I said I would do/be those things when I was a "grown up" and that's 40 right?  It may be too late for some of those things (note I haven't given up and said it's too late for all of those things), but I can still get stuff done.

This week's Pinterest Poser Challenge** is all about a list, a bucket list of sorts.  There are bucket lists all over Pinterest.  This one is inspired by today, my birthday.

 **In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   

*My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.

If I get those things done in the next year, that's cool.  If not, they will simply be moved to the Things To Do Before 50 list.  Because like I learned in my late 20s and 30s, life gets busy and full of other stuff.  Oh man I almost typed "life is what happens when you are making other plans," oh my gosh sorry for the cliche quoting, but ahem, it's cliche for a reason.  It's true!

My life has been full.  I've grown up more, let go more, lived more, traveled more, seen more, drank more, mothered more, laughed more, cried more and loved more. 

source: Pinterest

Today is my birthday.  The last birthday in my third decade.  Today is the first day of the last year of my thirties.  And I am wiser and more patient. I know no matter what I do this year, I will do my best to forgive, embrace, accept, enjoy and appreciate it all.

source: Pinterest

Do you have a bucket list? Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  Had any great successes? Or advice?  Or warning about a project that's a total waste of time? Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.  Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.

Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:

Old Door Turned Into A Table- click here

Summer Wish List Chalkboard-click here

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Sandwiches-click here

Painted Mason Jar Vases-click here

Cinco de Mayo Paper Flowers- click here

Earth Day Cupcakes- Click here

Nail Art-click here

Homemade Photo Booth Fun- click here

Fake Bangs- click here

DIY Subway Art- click here

Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here

Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here

The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here

The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.