Pride That Should Be Shame

Okay, I will confess at the outset that this is my first time at blogging drunk. So, what I am about to post, I may be sorry for tomorrow (does anyone else who blogs in this state find that it takes waaaayyyy longer to type due to consistent typos?).

HOWEVER, my blog is indeed entitled "Beyond the Broom." And although in my first posting I explained that my blog was an attempt to document life beyond my two broom toting scenarios (sweeping up #@$! all day or hopping on for a quick ride), I seem to have found a new and I must say much improved use for - The Broom.

Recently a friend of mine turned 40. Her husband threw a fabu! party for her. Fun was had by all. I LOVE a good party. A little 80's flashback pumpin' from the speakers and a nice floor to kick off your shoes on and I've made the trek to Paradise! (Oh, wait - add some good tequila and/or Mexican beer. . . aaaaannd, both would be even better!).

So with my new found skill (baby got skeels!) of posting photos on my blog, I thought it only prudent to share with you some pics of the newly discovered use for - The Broom. If all goes as planned (hmm, maybe I shouldn't have been so boastful of that new skill!) there should be some photos for viewing below. If I have to resort to plan B, well - shit, there is no plan B. So hope it works.

singing with broom
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

broom guitar
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

H - broom guitar
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

the jimi within
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

I Will Survive!

Yesterday I found myself in a bit of a funk. The day started out pretty well but just went downhill from there. I’ve taken a hiatus from teaching for the past few years to stay home with my kids. As rewarding as this experience has been ☺, I have felt the need to re-cultivate my professional side as well. In an attempt to have my cake and eat it too, I decided to try to publish some of the curriculum that I’ve developed over the years.

After months of obsessing over it to make sure it was publisher friendly (in my opinion) I finally sent in a curriculum submission a few weeks ago. I was so excited to finally just get it out there. Well, yesterday came the first rejection email. ☹ Now I totally understand that this is part of the process of getting something published – especially a first time submission; but still, it was a let down. So that started my funk.

Then, I finally got around to reading the parent letter that KK’s teacher had sent home on Tuesday. In her letter she said that over Spring Break, her younger sister passed away. My heart sank. Shit. . . (with big sigh). KK’s teacher is not old so her younger sister must have been not much older than me (if at all). Mrs. Teacher said her sister had been ill, but death was unexpected. It was a shock to everyone.

Perspective. If you happen to have lost it momentarily – pause and look up – I bet the Universe is waving it in front of you. At least that’s how it hit me. Who cares about the first rejection letter of my life? If I expect to write, I better get used to it. But losing a sister? Shit. . . (another big sigh). I’ve got two sisters and just the thought of losing one throws me into a tailspin.

It seems my choices are: I can chose to sit and wallow in what feels like my own shit, or grab some of that perspective slapping me on the cheek and keep moving. I think I prefer the latter. So in my effort to focus on the things that I am grateful for I’m sharing some pretty darned cute pictures of my kids at the Doodlebops concert and more. Thanks to Mommygoth for pointing me to flickr.com to make my picture posting much easier!! ☺

Have a great weekend!

I wish I was Dee Dee
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

My first rock concert - well, post womb that is!
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

High fivein' Mo
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

Crazymakin'
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

KK still thinking about shaking Roonie's hand
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

Soccer Chic
Originally uploaded by broominyaya.

Just a little R E S P E C T

Today I met with a great friend of mine for lunch. We meet occasionally to update each other on what is going on in our lives – usually with regards to our careers. My friend “J” is my mentor. She is an energetic, authentic, compassionate, independent, and wise woman. Although our ages are on either side of a twenty-some-odd year gap, we connect in a way that feels like we are sisters. Sisters walking a well-worn path that women before us have walked. J is farther ahead on the path – giving me frequent tips to make my journey more efficient. I am always eternally grateful for our visits.

I have a deep interest in women’s issues. I am committed to raising my daughter to realize her capabilities, embrace her strengths, and proclaim them to the world. Yet the world is not always so gracious at opening its arms. The inequalities that continue to run rampant in our world – and inequalities between men and women are just a glimpse – create an overwhelming sense of rebellion in me. If I never went through a rebellious stage before, it finds itself boldly surfacing now, in these circumstances.

When a woman holds the exact same job title and description as a man yet earns 30% less income only because she lacks a penis - this doesn’t sit well with me. When a boy in my classroom refuses to wipe out the microwave during class job time because it’s a “girl’s job” – it causes an eyebrow to raise in disbelief. When a woman bears a child and chooses to stay home - -or not – yet is expected to be in charge of all things home related because she “has time” I cringe at the ignorance. When my sister yayas chat with me over coffee or wine and share stories about what their “other” half said to them in anger, I cry with them but feel the rage inside start to boil.

What is this inequality? Where do these ingrained man-thoughts originate? Why is not the same respect for strangers afforded to the women they love? How have we let our world become so male-dominated? How have we allowed such complacency?

This is the path that I walk. I am grateful that it is well worn because many wise and dedicated women created this path out of the rough. However, my fear is that our complacency is distracting us from continuing to move forward and the path may become overgrown.

I love my husband, my dad, and other men too. I’m not a feminazi. I am an egalitarian who yearns for women to be respected.

Aaahh Spring

Wow, the sun is finally shining today. Perhaps spring is on it's way. There are just a few days left of Spring Break here so I told my kids today is "Kids Day" at our house. I've been feeling guilty that I've been working in my home office too much and haven't spent much quality time with the rugrats.

So . . . today we are going to plant seeds into little pots to put in the windowsill. Hopefully they'll sprout nicely and be ready for our little garden in a month or two.

I say this with a bit of a knowing giggle. I must mention that I have a BLACK thumb! About every four months I have to replace the would-be "live" plants in my house. I should also add that this number of live plants dwindles each time because I've come to the realization that fake plants work better. So I'm down to 3 real plants and 3 fake ones. This is so sad b/c I so love the idea of having lots of fresh greenery in the house. But I have to face the facts and realize that my "greenery" isn't sporting that "freshness" they should be.

I've just never been able to figure out the watering thing. Some of the tags say "keep moist" while others say, "let it dry out before watering." Since I can't keep it straight which ones need what when, I just wait for the tell tale signs of looking a bit limp and parched. At which point the plants think they've been transported to Niagra Falls. I soak 'em until the water is oozing and seeping everywhere. Such the cycle continues. But I digress.

I am an optimist however, so today we plant seeds! :)

I better get going for now before the "kids day" turns into "kids running wild day."

Happy Spring!

Just Rambling

Today is a bit of a sad day. Dear friend Bobita isn't here after all. We planned on having a few days during spring break to get together and create a little mayhem with 5 children under the same roof. Poor Bobita got halfway here (in the time it would normally take to get all the way here) and decided it wasn't going to work. All three of her cherubs were protesting the journey - the entire journey - making for some pretty shaky mommy nerves.

So, her judgement got the better side of her as she about-faced her vehicle and headed back home. Luckily the Irreverent Husband was home when she got there and was able to lend a hand.

It was back to coffee via the phone lines this morning. However, not all is lost, we may still try to get together next weekend - who knows.

In the meantime, I thought to help myself feel better, I wouldn't do anything constructive at home this morning so I would try to pretend I am technologically savvy and add some fun things to my blog.

I'm having fun - however, kids are about to kill each other since I've been on the computer most of the morning. And, I'm not sure how much different the end blog product will be after my 5 or so hours of slogging through it.

Perhaps my old friend Mr. Cuervo will have some assistance to offer.
Wha-ut? It's after noon!

Bilingualism

I always wished I could speak more than one language. It's just cool. I love it when you hear people switch back and forth between a couple of languages in one conversation.

Oh, I've taken a quarter of French (technically 2 quarters since I had to take it twice!! :) And 2 quarters of Spanish (did much better in that, thank you). However, I can't carry on a conversation in any other language except English. How dull. Or so I thought. But, after spending some "quality" time with young kids, specifically boys, I learnend I may not have to be ashamed of this unilingualism any longer.

Yesterday each of my kids had friends over for a play date in the morning (it's Spring break up here in Canada- yet, where exactly is Spring?). So, two 5 year olds, a 7 year old and two 3 year olds. I braced myself for chaos = one hand on the reciever to call in reinforcements and one on the bottle of tequilla.

Surprisingly, it went pretty well (not disclosing how much of the tequilla bottle is left!). But in this 2 hour time frame I was immersed in the language of EABWAG (Everything's About Bodily Waste and Gases). I have to say, I think I got it down pretty well after just 2 hours.

My lesson in EABWAG went like this:
First 20 minutes = I tried to pretend I wasn't hearing it.
Next 20 minutes = "Hey you guys, can we save the bathroom words for the bathroom?"
Next 20 minutes = Gave up and went back to pretending I wasn't hearing it.
Next 30 minutes = Hmm. . . this language sure gets a lot of laughs. Maybe I shouldn't be so smug.
Final 30 minutes = Was experiencing so much fluency that I could in fact hold a conversation - flipping back and forth between my mother tongue and my newly learned language.

I am so proud of myself! After all these years.

The morning ended with the perfect wrap up. Our 3 year old visitor's mom came to pick him up. Visitor did not want to go home. Visitor went through the usual motions of yelling, kicking, and screaming when one is forced to do something against his will. Visitor's mom finally rallied him to the door to get shoes and jacket on.

Not wanting to totally lose the battle, little 3 year old Visitor grumps under his breath, "You stupid, invisible, fart!"

Still laughing thinking about it. My knowledge of this new language keeps growing - oh the possibilities. Ya just have to remember the key (interject some form of the words fart, poo, or pee) and you're well on your way!

Hey Lay-Dees! (w/crescendo)

So, how many of you out there are dogs (talkin' about it in the CHINESE sense!!)? Well, it just so happens that I am a dog. I've always thought of this as a good thing. Some of the attributes like loyal, protective, etc. I find myself proud of.

except . . .

My husband is also a dog. He is a psychologist so for this post (and who knows maybe a few more in the future) I'll call him Shrink. HA. So, Shrink is a dog too. Once again - thought this was a good thing. Y'know, loyal, protective . . .

well. . .

Apparently, since it is the year of the dog, we can expect big things for us this year. However, a wise counsellor told me: Be prepared for conflicts with other dogs. In the end it will be good, but it won't be an easy journey

GREAT! I'm married to one.

And, I'm starting to think I need to study more Chinese philosophy. Conflicts? Oh yeah. They seem to be in greater abundance this year. They start as little "discussions" over silly things like,
Shrink: "Why didn't you take 5 minutes to put the leftovers in the fridge after dinner?"
Me: "Um, well, there are these two little people living in our house and one was running around the house naked threatening to pee on his sister while the other one was going for the broom to use as a weapon!"

But then it turns into a 2 hour discussion - like almost every time. In the end, the discussions usually turn out well and we are better. I guess I'd rather have that better feeling sans the 2 hour discussion!

So, just wondering - any other dogs? Any nifty tips? I'm dog tired!!

To What Do I Owe This Occasion?

OMG, I don't want to actually write this down, but I can't help it. BOTH MY KIDS ARE NAPPING!!! KK is almost 6 and hasn't napped since she was 3. Super T is 3.5 and only naps occasionally on days when he is at daycare. Despite m-a-n-y firm words, mixed in with various threats on days that I just know they need a nap, I have not succeeded in getting them to sleep. Yet, here I sit, and they are both sleeping. They didn't want to go to sleep of course, but we're at my parents' house right now (about 8 hours from our home) and I just don't know what it is about being out of the norm for kids, but it throws my kids off - WAY OFF - for like a week! So last night they sprouted those pointy red horns, grabbed their pitchforks, and let loose!

My hubby (I have a new acronym for him btw- LAESH - not to be confused with LEASH of course, wink wink - which stands for Loving And Extremely Supportive Husband) has been at a conference since Wednesday. And although my parents are great at helping out with the rugrats, the sole responsibility rests on me and I'm T-I-R-E-D!! The kids are sporting thier new style complete with pointy tails, I'm way tired and frankly a bit overwhelmed at trying to assure my parents that my choosing not to raise my children in "the church" has not backfired.

It was crazy making both last night and this morning.

But . . .

I have recieved a gift - the little devils lay fast asleep, in the middle of the day.

I went to both of them and peered directly in their eyes, trying to make sure they wouldn't feel my breath on their little devil faces, to see if they truly were asleep. And that is when I saw it, with my own two eyes - their horns were crumbling, pitchforks dropping to the floor, and pointy tails melting away.

Such moments of beauty, let the trumpets sound, the cherubs (did I say that?) are asleep!!

But not brooms in the Canadian sense

Okay, so my dear friend told me I H A - A V E to start blogging. She started one, I read it, peed my pants laughing at hers (though I had just heard the stories over coffee this morning), went to a few postings of people who commented on hers and couldn't stay away. The honest truth is, I can't stand not being able to say something. I must comment, therefore, I had to create an account.

I've titled my blog "Beyond the Broom" simply because it is my mantra every day. I find that too much of my day is spent with broom in hand. True, some days it seems all I do is sweep up mess after mess - but more often than I'd like to admit, I've got that baby cluched between the palms of my hand and I'm flying!! So I'm going out on a limb here a bit and deciding to create a space that documents life beyond those two scenarios - although I'm thinking a few of the broom stories HAVE to make it in time to time just for the sake of grins and giggles.

So, cheers to a new blog and cheers to peering down from my broom from time to time in an attempt to see a broader view. :)