I daresay I'm in the midst of another writer's slump. I started something fabulous and wonderful the other week but it's way too long for a blog. I don't know what to do with it. I suppose I could post it as a three-blog-post series. It's all about middle school. Who doesn't lo...athe middle school?
Blue Moving Boxes.
I've started a new job. I'm at the same ad agency but on a new account. I hate to even jinx it by admitting how much I love it. It's tough. It requires a lot of thought. It requires hard work and research. I have to absorb a ton of information and then let it sort of marinate in my brain before I can even attempt to write a headline. I love that I'm having to stretch and twist and agonize over the writing I get paid to do again.
I'm worried about family. I'll keep that part of my life as private as I can, out of respect for their privacy. But my family members seem to keep getting cancer and I know it's cliche to say, but I'm getting really sick of it and I'm confounded by it. It makes me angry and frustrated. The older I get the more precious I realize life is. It would terrify me if I really let myself think about how precarious this whole ride is.
Grace is really digging life.
Speaking of life, my children are bursting with it. My son just turned eight and he is getting to be quite the card. He makes me laugh on a daily basis. And he makes his baby sister belly laugh. She worships him above all others. His name is Max and she tries to call him "Maxie." It comes out as "Nassie." When he's not home, she runs around the house calling for him, "Nassie? Nassie? Nassie?" When she figures out he's not home, she asks, "Hockey?"
Don't tell his friends he watches The Wiggles with his sister.
She knows his schedule well. I haven't attempted the whole "He's at his dad's house," because she's only just shy of two and I don't think she'll get the fact that she and her brother don't have the same daddy. Though she sees him walk to his dad's house just two doors down from our house all the time. Perhaps she just thinks he's visiting the neighbors. It's all very normal to her.
I've also discovered that my daughter has a sweet tooth. She's only just started speaking in complete sentences. These are my favorite two sentences thus far — and they were both uttered immediately upon waking first thing in the morning:
"Dulce is awesome."
"Dulce is nummy."
Dulce is "sugar" or "sweet," if you don't speak Spanish. My daughter's babysitter speaks Spanish to her so she can be brilliant and bilingual. Of course that comes out as Spanglish. Half the time her father and I don't even know what she's saying. It may be babble. It may be Spanish. Who's to say?
I'm ready for my sugar. Fork it over, Lady.
My other favorite sentiment that my daughter has expressed in sentence form:
"Mama is funny."
See? It's clear she's insightful and smart. Or maybe she's just flattering me so I hand over the dulce?
Correct caption for the last photo:
ReplyDelete"Pour some sugar on me."
Congrats on the badass new account. Am jealous. Sympathies on the ongoing illnesses in your family. Can sympathize, after a fashion.
Anyhow. Keep movin' them fingers. (said the pot to the kettle.)
My kids are both miners, too. I wish they'd stop trying to feed it to me, though.
ReplyDelete@TwoBusy: No. I will not caption my baby daughter with Def Leppard you bad man you.
ReplyDelete@Joshua: Now I'm hearing Neil Young in my head.
Glad you like your new account. It makes all the difference in the world when you're actually enjoying what you're working on every day.
ReplyDeleteAnd who cares about writer's block when you have such cute, funny faces to pay attention to instead?!
Them kids are too damn cute. I think Spanish has a really compelling sound to children. It's so sonorous or something. I speak Spanish to my niece at times and she seems entranced. And please for the love of god don't stop blogging. My heart can't take it.
ReplyDeleteBecause her "mama is funny!"
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your girl is almost two. Both your kids are adorable, by the way. Sorry about the family illness. And congrats on the new account. It could be that all your word-related energy has to go into that right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteSo far my favorite sentence from G was in response to my asking her to take off her shoes. She dramatically draped herself across the floor pillow and said; I can't mama, I too wazy.
How wonderfully convenient that his dad lives 2 doors down!
I loved your post. You have the best of both worlds, a career you obviously love and a beautiful little family.
ReplyDeleteOpinionsToGo
When I left for Guatemala to work in missions...all I could say in spanish was "cerveza fria por favor?" (please can I have a cold beer?) Yes, as you can imagine, this was incredibly helpful.
ReplyDeleteYour children rock. I'm currently working on begging to get paid....for writing. I already get paid for that.
Writing again after almost two years. I think I may have accidentally taken your mojo.
ReplyDelete*sheepishly hands back*
I would recommend a picture blog to get you through the down time, but it's evident you're a pro...
Man your kiddos are cute! Good for you digging our job, that is awesome. Cancer bites. Sick of it round here,too.
ReplyDeleteThey are so adorable. Keep posting pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how big they are!
ReplyDeleteThere is a writing challenge blog that may stir some finger movement for you. Not that kind, you perv! Here it is: uh, not in link form because Facebook doesn't use html so I forget how to use it.
http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2012/02/trifextra-week-four.html?m=1
For what it's worth, I think you should make your Middle School story into 3 shorter posts. Not only do you get your work out there; you have 3 posts in the bag that require very little additional effort.
ReplyDeletePlus, we wanna hear!
I'm shocked how fast she's growing up - geez, it doesn't seem that long ago that we were reading pre-pregnancy posts and here are the kids so big already.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is how grandparents feel about measuring time in the grandkid's inches.
On the 'fort' post a bit ago -- loved the depression analogy.
Why are you thinking about Middle School when I am sitting here trying not to?
ReplyDeleteYour kids are adorable!
ReplyDeleteLovely to see you again, and get caught up, a bit. Yes: do a two or three parter, by all means! I would love that.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry your family is going through a spate of health crises. There have been seasons in my life where the hits kept coming, and I was a wounded pup for many years, so I know how that feels.
I will say that it wasn't forever, and there WAS life on the other side, but it was hell walking through it at the time, and I'm sorry if that is the place where you are right now in regard to your family, and their health.
Your kids are beautiful, and they sound like such a blessing. Each stage becomes your new normal, and you think it will last forever, but I am here to tell you it does not. So, soak, soak, soak it up, my friend.
HUGS! I've missed you! Glad you love your job! That makes such a difference!
(I'm off to a big Blogging conference this week! For me, it's Blissdom. It's nice that it's so near where I live!)
I sincerely hope you will post the middle school series. Most brutal years of my life, hands down.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new position and as always, that daughter of yours is such a little doll.
If you write it, they will read it. Regardless of the length.
ReplyDeleteCool?
Wow, your kids are A) adorable and B) super adorable
ReplyDeleteIt always comes back, the writing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am very sorry about the family stuff. I know it well.
Lastly, I would like to watch the Wiggles with your children, please.
I would give her all the dulce I have.
ReplyDeletePS I AM STILL DYING FROM YOUR WONDERTWINS REFERENCE.
You make my hernia happy.
@Mel Heth: It's like getting a whole new lease on life!
ReplyDelete@Erin: I've been at it too long to stop. I just take long pauses every once in a while.
@Michon: Thank you.
@Blissed-Out Grandma: I think you are right. I'll probably be back to my old blogging self once I get accustomed to the new account.
@Amelia: I'm going to start saying "I'm too wazy." I don't think I'll be quite as charming as your G. though.
@As We Speak: It's nice (if exhausting) to have both, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
@Chantel: The only thing I knew how to say in Spanish when I went to Madrid pregnant was, "Cafe con leche, decaffinado, por favor."
@Just LD: I should have never forgotten that blogging rule. When in doubt, photo blog.
@Sherri: Thank you.
@Eva: I thought that was what Instagram was for...
@Megan: I never do writing challenges. Hm. Perhaps I should? Or am I "too wazy?"
@BluzDud: That's all the encouragement I need. Now I just need to write the conclusion to it....Drr.
@Venom: She'll be two in April and it seems like just yesterday that I was writing those posts to me too.
@MegVan: Hey, I try not to think about advertising when I'm not at work and that doesn't work either!
@P: Gracias!
@Susan in the Boonies: I've heard good things about Blissdom. Let me know how it goes!
@Vapid Vixen: I figured it was a universal enough experience that the middle school post would be a hit. Now I just have to re-motivated to write the conclusion to it.
@La Piazza: I thought the rule to blogging was that if it was too long, they would not come? Hmm.
@Just Me: Wow you're a) nice b) super nice. Thank you!
@Suniverse: I wrote a blog post or two during my hernia recovery. One post was called "Big Bertha" and let's just say, it was about one particularly unpleasant side effect of anesthesia.
Moving boxes and a new account. Plus Spanglish. Take it easy, girl. You're doing just fine. Writing is cool with taking a back seat sometimes. It needs time to marinate, too.
ReplyDeletePS I wrote something too long for a blog, too. What doth one do with the long winded genius?
For me..I LOVE that my children say, "you're so funny, mom" "You're funny, mom"
ReplyDeleteI love that the memory of me will begin with a smile spreading across their face while they say, "my mother was so very funny."
I am blessed with that kind of sense of humor that my boys love.
I am so blessed. OF all the gifts I've been given: making my children laugh: I am a lucky, lucky woman.
ALSO:
ReplyDeleteI dig 3 part posts.
Just to let you know...