Truth or...

The last time I played Truth or Dare was with my kids.  It was during one of my our many summer camping nights.  The idea of the game sprung from our adult version with our friends weeks before - on another camping trip, of course.  That's what our summer was all about after all.  Camping.  Memories.  Friends.

It took a bit for the kids to get into the game.  For instance, Michael used the same dare every time.  Finally we told him he should try something new because it was getting boring.  Marie seemed to be completely embarrassed by the game and copied what everyone else was doing.  Denai was in our tent talking to Siri until we confiscated that relationship.  Later we found her half off our blow up mattress snoring soundly.

Playing Truth or Dare with our kids was a different experience from playing with our adult friends.  Something as simple as a kiss on the cheek was an embarrassing dare for Marie.  For Michael, I dared him to do silly things like lick dad's shoe or climb to the top of pile of branches that were near to us.  When it came to licking things, Michael was freaked out.  But game rules prevailed.  And he had a blast.


And that's my five minutes on the word dare.

Click the link below to join!

 

Long Wasn't So Long

It's not edited.
It's imperfect.
In fact, I think I accidentally wrote too long by about two minutes. So sorry. I just had to finish the story.

We went into the Sprint store two weeks ago in high spirits.  They  had one iphone 6 plus in and it was going to ours!  Or, mine, to be accurate.  We decided to spend the big bucks and do the big upgrade for me now and do his later when it was time for his upgrade. 

So we get there and yes!  They still have one phone left.  Just. For. Me. 

Then we found out Mr. Sexy could get his upgrade at any time.  Cool... But couldn't afford that.  It worked well to space it out by four months. 

Then Sprinters worked their magic and - poof - I had the new phone and we ordered Mr. Sexy's.  For one third of what we were expecting to pay for just one phone. 

Magic, I tell you.  It's magic. 

Mr. Sexy was prepared to wait at least four long weeks for his new toy while I enjoyed every minute of mine. 


A week and half after visiting Sprint, he got THE phone call.  

His long wait was over.  It wasn't even that long!  In fact, his phone came in faster than others who ordered before him.  The Sprinters said they didn't understand.  

For us, it was magic.  

We had spent a long time thinking about the upgrade.  Would the plus be too big?  OMG IT BENDS!!!!   But really? 

Every singe person who has held my phone made a comment about how it was a good choice because the 6 plus is just too big.  Then I tell them they are holding a plus.  Isn't that funny?  It's really not as big as people think. 

Also, it does bend.  With enough pressure in the right spaces, anything can bend.  Even the iphone 5 had comments about bending.  But hey, I'm not going to be bending my phone!  I won't be running it over with my car either.  

There is something so silly about technology.  We all have opinions that are near and dear and there is no other right one.

Caring is to...

Here is 5 minutes of unedited writing on the topic:

Does anyone else struggle with caring for other people? 

What about those closest to us?  I don't mean the gushy closeness.  I'm talking about proximity. 

The one(s) we see every day - or nearly every day - and just being in the same room can be ... difficult. 

For me, there seems to be an absence of love. 

I think that's the point of all this, though. 

I think I'm supposed to learn what love means. How it's supposed to look.  How it's supposed to feel. 

Mr. Sexy has shown me a lot over our four years together. 

But I think that with kids comes more, shall we say, opportunities to learn.  Then with Mr. Sexy and I we already had one kid each.  

We threw ourselves together.  Fingers crossed.  Hopes high.  Gushy love swirling around us. 

The gushyies don't last forever.  In fact, the gushies didn't make it past our honeymoon. 

So now, here we are, with another child added to the mix 

I'm still learning and understanding what love is supposed to look like.  And feel like.  And be like. 

And I think, that one day, I will look back the days I'm in now and say, "Ah, she was teaching me to love."

Caring, for me, about people, about those closest in proximity, has been one of my most difficult struggles.

I'm holding onto...

5 minutes of unedited writing on the topic: hold

Starts NOW:

I like to hold on to things.  If I'm not careful, I could become quite a pack rat. However right now I'm thinking more of the internal things I hold on to.  And if I were to take the time to think, I wonder how much of a pack rat I am. 

I like to hold on to what I feel will give me power.  Bitterness. Pride. Anger. Those are only a few of my areas.  Yup, MY areas. I'm gettin' real over here. 

So what happens when I hold onto these - let's just call it what it is - sins? What happens in my heart? What comes out of my mouth?  How do I see the world? What are my hands doing? 

Nothing postive, I'll tell you that much. 

I'm not alone in holding onto these things.  We all do it to some degree, am I right?  Or am I puffing smoke?  (too much caffeine this morning I think) It's frustrating to me when I give in to satan's lies of power. What do I really want with power anyways? What am I going to do with it?  Nothing positive, that's for sure. 

There is a reason God has the ultimate power.  It's interesting to me that the same sinful desires of Adam and Eve are still so extremely relevant today.  In my own life.  And probably in other people's lives as well. 

That 5 minutes flew by fast!  I feel like it's messy but oh well.  Life is messy.  We are messy. That's part of the fun, right?

Am I ready?

I am about to write for five uninterrupted minutes on the prompt, ready.  I will re-read it when I'm done and will probably fix the silly typos I always make but I will not edit the content - regardless of how messy it feels.  I hope you like it!


The plan has always been: Have two kids together then adopt one.  That was the plan.  It is the plan...We had the one baby together.  That's Denai.  She is my favorite Denai!  She is way to cute and already "works it" with both of us to get what she wants.  Oh dear.  So, naturally, there should be another baby in the works. 

But am I ready? 

Honestly, I'm not sure I was ready for Denai.  We got pregnant because of my scheduled plans. But it worked.  I got pregnant right on schedule.  So I suppose God was in that.  So I should continue with my schedule ... and see if God honors that as well?

I just don't know.  

See, while I'm still in my twenties, well, let's just say Mr. Sexy isn't getting any younger (love you babe;).  Not that he is too concerned about age anyways.  He is awesome like that. 

I just don't feel ready for another baby like I thought I felt ready for Denai.  

I have three kids.  One I share custodoy, the other I don't but we have our issues, and then there's the baby who already battles me with a stubbrnness I know well.  

I want Denai to have a sibling who is closer to her age.  I am reminded of that when other tiny people come around to play. 

But, another baby?  Another round of diapers?  My body not being my own? Hiding the glass of wine I will enjoy over my pregnant belly? The threat of not having alone-selfish-mommy time? 

Hmmmm....

 

Do It Over and Over and Over Again

I really appreciated Lisa-Jo's blog post today.  Actually, I really, really appreciated the quote she shared on her blog post today.  Sometimes I get stuck thinking that what I do should be revolutionary.  It should be different, unique, something no one has thought to do or say before.  But in 2014, that's a hard feat.  Impossible, is often a word that comes to mind.

So I appreciate Elizabeth Gilbert's words today.  It's okay I write about the same themes.  It's okay to do it over and over and over again.  Each time I seem to write about the subject of step-parenthood - this incredible journey that I am on - each time I say a few words about it, it's different.  I'm constantly growing and hopefully I'm always learning.  Today my thoughts and feelings are different from last week and can't seem to even compare to last month.

So I'm going to keep on writing and keep on talking and keep on doing.  Because the practice, the perfecting of my craft, is ongoing with no definitive end.