I had a fabulous blog post planned for today—and then, it disappeared, as blog posts often do. Something about sunshine makes last night’s brilliant idea seem ridiculous. It’s the blogging walk of shame.
Anyhow, my day is jam packed with moving. Moving more of my “crap” from one space to another to make way for the plaster artists (he really is amazing, this guy  doing the walls and ceiling!) to work. On today’s list is our bedroom and my walk-in closet. Both the contents of my closet and  our King sized bed will be going down a flight of stairs and into our living room for the next three days. Camping! Without the open fire. Good times.
So, busy. But I wanted to share this graphic with you before I forgot. Because it really is amazing. I think it was originally a Mercedes ad, but I thought the text was moving. Â So often, an author’s bias shows when describing either the right or left brain way of thinking. But in this case, the artist graphically captures the beauty of both ways of being.
Which begs the question. . . which are you? Team Right? Team Left? Either way, you’re beautiful.
I’ve been MIA with my daily photo posts to spare you my misery. I’m in the middle of a deep clean and I’ve not had the time, nor the inclination to photograph the grime. Aren’t you lucky?
I did manage, in the midst of scrubbing a bathroom from floor to ceiling (or is that ceiling to floor?) to dash off  for a grocery run yesterday. That might have been ill-timed, as deep cleaning the refrigerator is on my agenda for today. Oops. But I did grab a box of lovely Forelle pears. So pretty and sweet and lovely. But now I’m back to the grind. Joy.
So, I’m taking the weekend off to finish my deep clean. I’ll be back on Monday to share 4th of July fun. Until then, I hope you have a lovely weekend and a wonderful holiday.
A gift from my son. Which just proves my point, I don’t think this kid is listening to me.
Whew! We survived yesterday. On a humorous note, I have to tell you: if this blog’s stats are any indication, there’s a whole lot of angst over this holiday! Last week’s stats was lit up with google searches for “honest Mother’s Day Cards.” If you’re an enterprising sort, there is clearly a market for “telling mom like it is” on Mother’s Day! I’m not advocating it, as much as observing. You could probably follow up with “Honest Father’s Day” cards and cards for “Ungrateful children who don’t send Mother’s Day Cards.” Seriously, folks, that’s what been bringing traffic to my blog all week.
That’s what I get for writing a post about not being a fan of Mother’s Day. IZ got my full fledged sermon on our walk yesterday—everything I’d say to all those people out there about the holiday, about what real mothering looks like and how it is imperative for those of us who “celebrate” to “mother” those who can’t. Lucky for you, he’s a built in congregation  of one and sermonizing is now out of my system. But it was a good sermon, complete with emphatic hand gesturing! I’ll just sum it up with what I told facebook, “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. It’s really not that difficult!”
Or, it shouldn’t be. I saw a lot of evidence to the contrary, last week. People, so called loving mothers, eager Christians, behaving in ways that were neither. There is something about this holiday that brings out very raw emotions—no matter what side of the issue. Ultimately, when I get past my ire and angst, I just feel sad. Sad for those who are mourning. Sad for those who cannot do the very basic act of the mothering that they insist on celebrating!
Sigh.
I should know better.
Anyhow, I don’t celebrate, but apparently my kid didn’t get the memo. He bought me a blank card, telling his father that he didn’t want one of those “sappy” cards. (GOOD BOY!) And he bought a replacement orchid for the one I accidentally offed with too much love last year. His father got around the edict by having a “non-mother’s day dinner” the night before. I love them.
And here’s the thing, the very bottom of my philosophy (for lack of a better word) on the matter: NO GUILT. I was touched and honored and completely charmed by their efforts. But I don’t have expectations. Our son remembered on his own (HUGE!!) and insisted on doing something with his own money. I’m not going to say “no” to that. I’m going to rejoice in the fact that my kid is kinda really great. But I’m also not going to get all weepy and demanding when, eventually, some other woman is the center of his universe.
He’s working. I’m working. Would you call this parallel play?
I’ve been crazy busy organizing our life here at Chez Wonder. And, as you well know, organization projects often look worse before they look better… so I’ll spare you the photos of the explosion. There’s something about spring that gets me cleaning out cupboards and organizing shelves, and this spring is no exception despite the winter-like weather.
And what’s up with that?
I’m going to leave you with a few links. Mostly of blogs that have touched me this week, but also a link to a very cool wedding invite.
First up: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the lovely article written about me and Mireio over on Handmade Spark. Makes a girl all fuzzy!
Tara Gentile (aka Scoutie Girl) Â is talking about support and results over on her blog. While I have a fabulous support system at home, I’ve certainly bumped into my fair share of people who don’t get it. I’m passing this along, in case you are struggling for support in your craft. Go get em!
For those of you who homeschool, I thought this post by Diane Keith over on the Homeschool blog was reassuring. I don’t think it translates well for those of you in the public school system, but  still worth a click if you’re schooling your child in less traditional ways.
I’m love, love, Â loving Katie over at Texas North. Today she writes about hard work and children. Go tell her about your first job!
And finally… don’t you wish you were these people’s friends? Utterly cool wedding invitation. (And if the invitation is this amazing, can you imagine the wedding? I think we should crash it!)
Yeah… so a time bomb went off in my body. Everybody talks about how it’s all down hill after 40. I used to think that was all hyberbole. Now I know, they were under selling it. THOSE people should be shot for not scaring the hell out of me in my thirties. As I tend to read the L.A. Times for information, I’ll just blame them. Shame on you L.A. for not warning me better that my body was going to fall apart EXACTLY at 40. Rude!
Click, creak, click, click… oh let’s go to the ER for no good reason but we like being poor. . . pop a pill, pop a vitamin, oh my aching back, um where’s my period. . . or there it is, nice of you to join the party. . .wait, what were we talking about?. . . Â click,creak, click, click. . . repeat.
Stupid time bomb. If you don’t think your life is run by hormones, you’re probably a boy.
Where was I? OH YEAH… I’ve lost my perimenopausal mind. In terms of mental processing, I’ve always been what professionals call a nonlinear thinker. (abstract random) But I usually get to my point and I typically can keep that point in focus even as I’m bouncing from topic to topic verbally. Tangental thinkers make great writers and preachers and parents who lecture you to pieces when pushed. Â However, there’s a huge difference between weaving 6 different topics into a conversation and pouring yourself a cup of tea and walking away from it, into a completely different room and forgetting that cup of tea for hours.
What? Example:
Last week I was cleaning up melting pots. I popped one into the freezer, because it had unscented wax, I figured why waste water… just use the cold method. Then I cleaned my other two scented pots. That took maybe 5 minutes. And as I was finishing up the second I thought to myself, “I need to clean that third pot. I wonder where it is.”
I’d completely forgotten that I’d put it in the freezer. I turned the house upside down trying to remember where it could be. Didn’t I just have a few minutes ago? I didn’t find it until IZ opened the freezer hours later and handed it to me.
I’m ready to start popping pills to alleviate the symptoms from the other pills I’m already popping. I’m ready to groan when I get out of a chair. I already spend too much money on wrinkle cream and hair dye. What I’m not ready to lose is what I have left of my mind.
Which brings me to this blog. I’ve been meaning to blog for days. Â There was something on my mind, but then I lost it.
And while I was trying to figure out how to end this, Pandora loaded The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind” —Sometimes, you just have to let the Universe have the last word:
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there’s nothing in it
And you’ll ask yourself,
Where is my mind? ~~The Pixies
And you’ll ask yourself. . . where is my mind, where is my mind, where is my mind?
