To Rule or not to Rule

I played a game of Life--The Game of Life--with my four year old today. It got me thinking about how kids reach an age when the rules matter. And playing games becomes strategic. But on the flip side of that... I think personality plays a huge role in what a little person carries with them into adulthood.

I loved this version of The Game of Life with my four-year-old because the rules didn't matter. She wanted to be a computer designer, she was a computer designer... we didn't take out loans or worry about money. We didn't even start with money at all. She didn't want to get married, so there was no marriage, but when we hit that point after wedding bells and the square for having a baby came along, she decided to have a baby. She wanted to live in the RV...and no, she did not want to upgrade to the mansion. When she was supposed to spend 65K on some "event"--a vacation, I think--she said, No. She wasn't going to do that.

As I sat there, enjoying this game way more than I ever would have with all the rules, I thought about what it would have been like if my husband had sat down to play with her. They would have had fun, and maybe she would have been given the opportunity to learn something... all I know is, I'm pretty sure there would have been some pressure to play "by the rules." The guiding hand of a loving father to create order.

Maybe we need that balance. I know it keeps a certain couple on our toes in compromise. But it also keeps life interesting and fun. My husband has helped me create order where order is essential--like the checkbook, and I throw in the chaos--or flare, reminding him that the side trips are okay, too. We don't always have to get where we are going in a straight line.

Hope you all are having a great week.
With Love,
Beth

Editors and Agents

photo credit: the Albany Devils

Well, in case you're curious....

I have an editor looking at one story--a Christmas novella. Should hear back in a few weeks on that one.

And an agent asked for a partial of one of my novels. Wheehoo! Even if nothing comes from this, any request from an agent is such an ego boost. So, long story: I pitched to an agent this week, which means I wrote up a back-cover blurb and gave her the first 250 words of the story. There were many GREAT pitches. The day before the agent came back to comment on the pitches, I even thought to myself, "Why? Why do you do this? The story is great, but the blurb stinks...the 250 words is hardly enough to catch anyone's eye. No one wants what you're writing. Isn't that obvious by now?"  So, yeah...the torture!! It was a nice turn of events to have her ask for a partial...3 chapters of the story. And I'll throw the synopsis in there as well. *thumbsup*

The weekend is here. My plan to stay busy at the computer will be broken up by family life, friends, and an overall sense of contentment.
Hope yours is the same.
With Love,
Bethanne

Proud and Disappointed at the same time

This might get a tad long...... [why is it, when someone says that, you know there's a rant coming?!]

But first, I had a few proud moments this week.
1) my son got reader of the year award for the Pre-K thru 2 category...for the entire school district. Wow! Way to go kiddo. He's a kindergartner who reads at a second grade level. Nice job!
2) at my other son's Boy Scout meeting this week, the Troop leader came over to me, confirmed I was his mother then proceeded to rave about what a great job my son had done on the camp-out the previous weekend. "He was the first to pitch in and get things done...and he knew what he was doing, too. From putting up a tent to cooking." So proud of him for taking camping [and all his dad has taught him] seriously, and having fun, too.
3) A couple of weeks ago, my daughter came home with an assignment I needed to sign for...a volunteer project. She told me she had a friend and they were going to go to a nursing home and volunteer. I admit, I was wary...sounded like a lot of work for me! They're only kids(13yo). Are they really going to find somewhere to go? Make arrangements? Get it done? At the least, I knew I was going to be doing an added amount of running around, not to mention that I'd only be lucky if the other girl's parents were willing to give as much as I would have to... that wasn't a statement about the parents. I didn't know them...yet. As a matter of fact, that was my Cynical Nature coming out. Here comes the proud part... they did it. My daughter spoke to the counselor at school, made arrangements with a nursing home and reported that they needed to go to the facility for orientation the next day. They picked a day and decided they would go in on Saturday.

Awesome! Really proud of her. She's getting so grown up and responsible. And she knows what's right... and I can tell because she called me this evening.

And this is where the disappointment comes in...

Because when I asked her about when they were going over to the Nursing Home in the morning she informed me that her friend hadn't liked going there and thought it was "freaky." But her friend's friend [or was it sister? I was too irritated by then to recall now] had a Special Olympics event going on tomorrow too and they were going to do that instead.

Really. Uh, no. Okay, I flipped a little at first. Did she really think I was going to let her go who knows where with who knows who to do who knows what? Not to mention the fact that she'd already made a commitment to something else. I'd signed my name to the form! Seriously. This other girl's parents were okay with this? She could just back out because..."old people are freaky?" I reminded my daughter that these people were God's people and that it might be a little uncomfortable and that it took some getting used to...to work with the elderly, but that she was going. She'd made the commitment...I'd signed the project slip from school that this is what she was doing.

My daughter did not fight it...she knew it was coming. Maybe she hoped for a different outcome. I suppose I don't blame her.

But I do blame that girl's parents. I sent my daughter to their house because this is what they had planned to do in order to get their project done... on the other hand, I'm getting the idea that I'm the only one who thought she was going there so they could "DO THEIR PROJECT." I conceded to picking her up at NOON...Noon! They had another friend over as well. Not just Virginia and this girl. I think I'll just show up at about 11:30.

I feel like shaking those parents...don't they know they are going to be OLD? And then what? They're going to roll around in their wheelchairs and bitch at the wall in front of them that no one comes to see them and young people just don't respect their elders and young people have no sense of commitment...

Kids today are not help accountable.
Not to sound self-righteous or anything...but mine are and will be held accountable. When they say they are going to do something, they will do it. Even if it's harder than they expected it would be.

Wordless Wednesday -- What's New?

Not the tattoo but the hair cut -- I'm just showing off -- love that tattoo...

New Boy Scout, crossed over last weekend...

New glasses for the young lady... so pretty.

Where do you live?

You ever think about what's on the other side of the fence?
Is the grass really greener?
I've noticed, in my writing, my characters tend to live in single family homes. Even when they're single!! [why wouldn't a single person want a nice, big family home, right?] This month, I've started a story and put my character in an apartment. Yes, I did. An upstairs-from-her-cafe apartment.

My family will move again in the future.
And I'm already thinking about our housing options.
The biggest variable for military families is whether to live on base or live off.
We're off now, and I kind of like it.
Nice house, nice neighborhood, close to stores, privacy...

PRIVACY!!

I still imagine life on base as being a bit fish-bowlie.
At the same time, it would be nice to live so close to gyms and parks and work and...ya know, stuff.
So, how good is it?
I wish I knew.
I guess, I need to decide if it's worth stepping on that grass and seeing how soft and green it really is.

What about you? What your favorite thing about where you live... and what do you as the GREEN on the other side of the fence?

VLOG--my first ever personal video blog

My five year old

My 5 year old was annoying my almost 9 year old this morning, and said 9 year old manhandled the 5 year old. Like brothers do. At the same time, no one would claim the water that was on the counter... and since it wasn't mine or my husband's, I sent them all to their rooms for an hour after lunch. It wasn't the cup of water that bothered me, but the fact that SOMEONE poured it! Why wouldn't they say so? Whoever wasn't saying so was lying.... Grrr. so frustrating.

....back on track. I brought my 5 and 9 year olds to the kitchen. I told the 9 year old, "Hug touching is okay. Handshakes are okay. If you are touching your brother becuase he is annoying you or making you angry, that's not okay. Okay?" 9 year old nods his head. "Apologize to your brother," I say, and he does. I turn to 5 year old. "5 year old, stop doing things on purpose to annoy your brother. Now, say you're sorry!"

He looks at 9 year old, then turns back to me, "You talk too much."

Haha. That is something I've NEVER been accused of in 32 years. NEVER. :D

Another quiet Sunday afternoon...
After brunch with the family and FIL, I should totally be writing...dude.

But I'm sort of surfing around, double checking my email, and stopping at a few blogs.

It's an ideal day...
Don't we all live for those warm end of summer days when the entire family is home? With my Hubby working on the car and my little fans scattered about the house doing one or another thing, I'm happy.

I might call a girlfriend....
write another scene from my WW2 novel...
sit outside under the tree and watch a real man get down and dirty with car grease...

I might drink a beer...or a glass of wine.
I might even READ!
Holy Moley...what am I still doing sitting here?

Have a great day.
Morgan

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