TWISTED! Any Which Way But Loose!

when i was little my mom would braid my hair into braided heidi like buns on either side of my head, or just braids, a pony tail, a twist, there were bangs, 100 brush strokes a night, many a struggle between mother and daughter, razor like rat tail combs parting the lines between my scalp....uggghhhh

i liked having long hair but i didn't like to do's... i just wanted it to be long... no do's! when i look back at my first grade photo, i laugh at all the toothless freckled funny faces. but no one has a hair do like princess leia of star wars! NO ONE!

the arguments ended long ago - i've had short hair since 8th grade - simple - easy and me - 2 sons so no little girl fun of barrettes, braids, pony tails, puffs, poofs - but now i love the looks. maybe on a granddaughter one day ..i'll be gentle. jennifer

on this Memorial Day weekend...

blessed are the peacemakers

The Freedom Of A Puddle Pouncing!

whether it we pooch or playfriend... i firmly believe in splashing in puddles!

i don't really like to use an umbrella when it rains

i love storms

thunder

roaring winds

aren't rain boots fun to look at?

i think umbrellas are kinda cool looking...lol

this morning as I was getting in my car for work at 6 am

a dad and his little boy (probably 18 months) were heading out to day care

the dad said "look puddles! want to jump in them?"

and he did. with joy, spirit, gusto, messily, dripping

and dad said "look, here's another one! here's a bigger one!"

now how cool is that!

Rain bashing, rain crashing,

In the puddles, children splashing,

Mother's tongue has started lashing,

Everyone is wet!

Rain slopping, rain stopping,

In the puddles, children hopping,

Mother's hands have started mopping,

Everyone, I bet!

Sun waking, sun breaking,

In the puddles, children quaking,

Mother's arms have started shaking,

Everyone, she'll net!

Sun applying, sun drying,

In the puddles, children crying,

Mother's breath is now a sighing,

Everyone's upset!

Sun gleaming, sun scheming,

In the puddles, children steaming!

Mother's smile, now is beaming,

Everyone's her pet!

Haven't Felt Like Dancing Until Now.....But Here's An Update and a Backdate!

i'm back from my sick bed)...it's been 7 days of croup, hack, bark, cough, sniffle sneeze and blow. for some reason i come down with this every year between december and january. thankfully, i made it through the holidays and they were indeed divine.you don't think working in a health room every day could contribute to my germ level do you? perhaps working at night with groups of developmentally challenged adults? i try not to think of bathroom door knobs or shopping cart handles. 

How many times can you apply that goopy stuff to stay "germ free"? 

so i eat healthy, breathe(you have to do that),take care of my asthma, hug with the sheer pleasure of it. i'm not very good on rest and exercise...hmmmm

and i really can't dance

  

but I can hustle, shake my groove thang,

do the electic slide, twist and us a darn hoola hoop!

(Patti LaBelle, The Bee Gees, Dionne, Petula Clark, The Beatles, Donovan, Judy Collins)

(The Four Tops, Cat Stevens, Three Dog Night, Cream, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin)

on to the subject of dance, my first memory of dance was being toted to this huge old stately house on a corner owned by a woman named Mrs.Lawlor. it seemed i had 'flat feet' and ballet was advised by family doctor as a cure. so were orthopedic shoes..these look good but mine were sierra brown and the only girls that wore saddle shoes in my area went to private school... errgggh.

the lessons were in her basement - it was clear i was never going to be a star or tall or sleek.

 Mrs. Lawylor made that clear - often. i 

made it through, had my recital.

i believe in making ourselves feel like stars

my parents were never ones to attend teacher conferences, school plays or recitals anyway.so the family decision was to stick with the orthopedic shoes only. every day i'd leave the house(my mom was not a morning person),

walk to the bus stop, put them in my bag

and change into my sneakers.it was years of battling until one day i found my something that was cool enough to wear with my my long hair, head band, peace symbol necklace and long India print empire waist dress.

 ..Earth Shoes! my dad was very pissed and confused...so rolled my teenage years! 

      
so i'm feeling better - wasn't a success with ballet -
really do like to dance if you put on the right tunes and let it go - sometimes i just put on music i like and dance in my living room in a night shirt, sometimes with a friend. you won't see me on "Dancing With The Stars" but you will see me with joy in my heart....now how about a little Aretha Franklin! Jennifer

Activity: Calories burned

Dancing - fast ballroom 189
Loading/Unloading a car 54
Reading 36
Hairstyling 45
Dancing - fast ballroom 189
Sex - foreplay 25
Sleeping 32
Driving 72
Sitting /Resting 36
Ironing 77
Writing 36
Garden 184
Putting away Groceries 45
Showering 72
Mopping 77
Cooking 90
Sex - intercourse 72
Shopping 81
Housework 99
Dancing - ballroom slow 103
Lifting weights - general 117
Washing car 153
Jumping jacks - moderate 153
Rope jumping 171
Total Calories Burned 2,018 ( this is for a 150 lb. woman in 15 to 30 minute time increments)

The Story of the Battered Butterfly

And her story begins...

There is a bubble that surrounds certain people, isolates them from the rest of the world. It can begin as early as birth.  Do you realize there can be a little one somewhere being
abused and even their family members aren't aware of it? The little girl goes to school each day and no one asks the questions. Wants to know the answers. Reaches out to help. It's all so subtle yet stark.  And she smiles all the time and makes friends - is a great friend.

 Teens experience bullying or striving to stay popular.  It can be so difficult to be a child, a teen. "Are you mad at me?". Who's invited to who's house? And still the young girl keeps vigil in her abusive environment ... reaching out to make more friends, to grow up, to be
free.  Who will love her?

Boys appear on the scene. She tries so hard to please. Her friends are dear. The boys come in droves only to move on to the easier of the flocks. The girl smiles her smiles but holds back her mature inner urges. It can't be love? They won't stay. And she has the duties pulling her home. Will it ever end?

Sadly, the tearing down of her joy and bursts for Life's ebb and flow and she nears the end of high school...she flys. Where - with who...more impossible choices. Her mind thinks - "I am not worthy of more." Still she runs - to love, affection. She needs it all.

 Travel seems the answer to new worlds don't you think? Confidence can be so vital to a young girl that has been told she can be nothing - is nothing. So she continues only to be left and told she's not the one. And there she is and she rushes into more decisions she makes to please others. They must be right if others are happy! Inside... she is burdened and broken. Where is that smiling girl?

Friendships she is blessed with. The mother-love she could never seem to be perfect for disappears into her own world of sadness.  Suddenly one phone call - the blast of her life time.  She struggles on. The creativity of who she is starts to slowly pump, pump, pump. Children are God's great, Great gift to her. She can love them as she never was. Her heart fills.  A friend says "until you learn to love who you are, you won't be able to be happy with your Life ". Can this be true? Who is she?  It's frightening.

The girl, the woman begins to discover herself. She reads, she talks, she studies. There is a new "ok" in her life for the beauty within. There is new found forgiveness for the ups and downs. Forgiveness because it is vital to heal herself. Lifelong friends love her as they always have. Her children tell her of their pride for the woman she is now and for the "Mommy" that raised them. Childhood pain is a lesson to help others ease their pain and feel worthwhile. Always growing. Book pages of Life fly!  Oh, the colors.

Joy arrives. Others tell their stories. Can it be? Are there others? Struggles survived? Women who have grown?  You believe in me? I cherish you. The young woman begins to see that the past has effected her in good ways. She is a loyal friend, she loves with her whole heart, she's nuturing, she has an inner strength.

And OH LORD! When she Smiles! 

This story isn't for everyone. It's a subject that was on my mind and I wanted to write, please accept it or release it as thoughts from cobwebs that were gathering over time. Jennifer

a favorite - Psalms 46:1,2  and the Lord made me a butterfly, Jenn

The Kitchen Sink With A Cherry On Top!

when we were kids growing up in new jersey

there was a place about a half hour away from us called "Jahn's"

pronounced "y a n n s".

They were sort of like a deluxe Howard Johnson's of the day.

We went for ice cream.

sprinkles

whipped cream

hot fudge

and a CHERRY on top!

not too BIG a deal you might say ...

HOWEVER....

we ordered something called

THE KITCHEN SINK

scoop after scoop of ice cream

with all the fixings on top

a child's delight

a memory to smile at, Jenn

the picture shown above is NOT anywhere near the size of what I am describing -

envision a punch bowl baby!

There are places I remember...In My Life

There are places, I remember,
all my life though some have changed
some forever, not for better
some are gone,

and some remain
all these places have their meanings
with lovers and friends I still can recall,
some are dead and some are living...
in my life, I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers,
there is no one compares with you.
And these memories lose their meaning
when I think of love of something new.

Though I know I'll never lose affection for people
and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them.
In my life, I love you more.

Though I know I'll never lose affection for people
and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them.
In my life, I love you more.

 I'm calling my best friend Pauline (since Kindergarten) to say "I'm so glad we're friends and have shared so many things through over 50 years!". who is your special person? your sister, cousin, friend, mom ? who can you make smile and feel special today? Jennifer

 Hugs to you Pauline, remember Franklin Lakes, the library, elementary school, double dating, raising our kids together, Terrace Lake, Darlington, dances, work,Tupperware parties, making clothes, long dresses, your mom, my mom , your Cadillac, my bug?

Nan - Mom of my heart - red lipstick, perms, bedtime stories, roasted peppers olive oil and crunchy bread, the beach every summer, naps,  the boardwalk at night, salt water taffy, bingo, helping me with my babies, helping me grow up, loving me for who I am. I think of you with a joyful heart because you were on this Earth for 95 years and you KNOW how much we loved you.