djuggler’s Neighborhood

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.

C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

5 things on my to-do list today:

1. Call the doctor for me.
2. Take Echo for his shots.
3. Pick up my prints to hang on the wall.
4. Fix links in my asides.
5. Laundry.
   

 

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire?

The usual: pay off bills, make college funds for my kids, buy a house. I'd really like to create a legal aid clinic to provide free or low cost legal counsel, especially for fathers trying to navigate the court system for their kids.

 

3 of my bad habits:

1. I drink WAY TOO MUCH soda.
2. I can be obsessive.
3. Hello INTERNET!
   

 

5 places I have lived:

1. Las Cruces, New Mexico
2. Memphis, Tennessee
3. Jacksonville, Florida
4. Ketchikan, Alaska
5. Silverton, Colorado
   

 

5 jobs that I have had:

1. Waitress
2. Call center manager
3. Loan officer
4. Gas station attendant
5. Retail
   

 

5 things people don't know about me:

1. I don't feel good enough.
2. I've never tried any sort of drug.
3. Left turns against traffic scare me.
4. I can't wait for the Oscars even though I haven't seen the films this year.
5. I wish I could go back to school.
   

I'm tagging: Julie, Mami.Rosa, and Nancy

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

And that's the best I can do today.

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

Leftovers were put to good use when I was a little girl. If my mom made a pie, the scrap dough would transform into tarts sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. When she made cakes, any icing would find itself sandwiched between saltine crackers and frozen for a sweet and salty treat. I made something similar for the kids yesterday, but instead of saltine crackers I used graham crackers and added some marshmallow cream: instant s'mores! The kids loved them, but I think I like the original version better.

What special treats do you remember from your childhood?

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

On Friday, Bleu got an award at school. [Read more about that here.] I overheard a few people talking about him and several others complimented me on his character. I was so proud! I told Mike to make sure and ask Bleu about it when he got home. I wanted Bleu to tell his dad the good news himself.
"Hey, Bleu! Is there anything you want to tell me?" Mike asked, with a sly smile. Bleu hung his head. "Yes. I got in trouble today." Mike looked at me. I looked at Bleu. "Why?" "I called a kid names." You could tell he was ashamed of himself. Mike talked to him a minute and when Bleu left the room I followed him. "Why didn't you tell me you got in trouble?" His eyes welled up with tears. "You were so happy and proud of me. I didn't want to ruin it for you." "Why did you tell Dad? If you didn't say anything, we never would have known." He gave me a funny look. "
I
would have known."

Let me tell you... I was just as proud of him in that moment as I was watching him accept the award. Admitting when you are wrong, being honest and taking responsibility for your own actions are all important steps to becoming an adult. I love my kids no matter what. When you are a parent, you take the good with the bad and hope for the best. But it makes me happy to think that he is starting to understand some of the life lessons I'm trying to teach him.

...

The other day, I was driving over the Organ mountains on my way to Alamogordo and the valley was filled with clouds.  It looked like I was driving into a sea of white. I stopped at the edge of the haze to document the spot where the clouds met the land.  I feel like this today, caught between the clouds and the sun. There is so much drama in my life right now, things I have no control over. But there is so much good too.  I need to focus on the positive and enjoy the sun.

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

Did I mention? I found a Polaroid Colorpack II camera in the original box with instruction book and all for only $2 at the thrift store! I was so excited.  I love Polaroids. Ever since my Spectra broke when I fell in the river [2006!] I've been looking for a new camera. The film is a little pricey, but the thrill of peeling it apart and seeing the results right away is totally worth it.

Polaroid Colorpack II on flickr: set | slideshow 

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

Butterfly with her twizzler, Polaroid Colorpack II 

My youngest girl turns eight today. I remember when she was born. She was early and came into the world tiny, wrinkled and red. There was nothing about her that reminded me of myself. Dark hair, dark eyes... she was a stranger to me but I loved her. For the first year of her life I worried. She was so serious, so quiet. She looked out at the world from her big black eyes and took everything in without reacting. Every smile, every show of emotion from her is a gift. Butterfly is a very happy girl, but she likes to keep things to herself. Over the past year, she has really opened up. She never stops talking now and her laughter bubbles up more often. This makes me so happy. I love to see her smile! She is my treasure, my baby girl.  Happy birthday, beautiful one!

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

A phantom, or the killer? I know this is a booking photo, but I think it is amazing. I am seriously considering setting up a photo shoot like this.  Awesome.

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

Echo follows the markers at White Sands

Which way is the right way? The answer is different for everyone. We all find our own way, navigating the complexities of this life using our experiences as a guide. What is important to me may be meaningless to you. And that's okay. It is good to be different. Our differences are what makes life interesting. But at the same time, there has to be some common ground... something that we all agree on that makes it possible to coexist peacefully.

Saturday, Mica and Mikal wanted to go to their mom's house and spend the night. Their brother was turning five and they wanted to be there with him. The details aren't important, but we ended up going to get them that night. As much as we want them to know and love their mom, we aren't willing to leave them in a bad situation. As usual, they were upset. This time, though, they weren't crying for themselves. They were sad to leave their brother behind.

Apparently, there was a lot of drinking at his 'party'. When it came time for his birthday cake, someone (a cousin's boyfriend?) shoved his face in the cake with the candles still lit and his face was burned. The girls wanted him to have a good birthday so we invited him over yesterday. We bought him some toys and a cake. I think he had fun. He is such a cute kid! The burn that the girls told us about was worse than I expected. Every time I looked at him I got more upset. He said they hadn't done anything for the burn, but that he washed it with water. I cleaned it for him and put on some antibacterial cream.

I'm so upset right now. It isn't the burn itself that bothers me so much. Kids get hurt. Just yesterday, Jon got scratched by the cat (when he wouldn't put it down) and Butterfly got a nasty bruise on her chest when she fell on her bike (again!). But to me, there is a big difference between kids being kids and getting hurt and an adult intentionally being cruel to a child.

So we are back to the original question. Mike's ex seems to think that as long as she isn't caught breaking any laws, what she does is okay. Butjust because something isn't wrong doesn't mean it's right. Maybe the common ground we need is kindness... simple human decency. Choose your own way, but watch out for those along for the ride.

Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.

Yesterday I threw caution to the wind and got the hell out of Dodge Las Cruces. Mike was working in Alamogordo, so I took Echo to the zoo there.  As zoos go, it is pretty weak but he is young enough not to notice.  We ate lunch with Mike and stopped at White Sands on the way home.  My yearly pass expires on February 1st so I want to get my money's worth. It was nice to take a break and forget about laundry and cleaning and doctors and medicine.  Mike has the day off today. I'm anxiously waiting for him to wake up so we can have an adventure together with the kids...