Back to School Part 1

Day 1 of first grade for Daughter and 4th for Son, and yes, we started on time this time. But the school bus? (See link there.) The new driver is trying the route from two years ago! Can someone please inject some status quo here?

Anyhow, for Daughter, it's business as usual. Even the glasses, newly acquired in June, are becoming a fixture. For Son, it's all good except he has to be on a new lunch schedule with the 4th-6th graders. "It's later," he says. Hopefully that's all that really means to him.





See, this post is just Part 1 because when the kids came back from my parents' house, their new stuff was sent separately to keep from adding to the weight of the luggage. And that means Daughter did not get to start the year with the Jonas Brothers in tow, like she wanted, although I did get her a Jonas Brother lunchbox and that more than made her happy. Still, I'll have to remember to do a before and after shot once the beloved bags arrive because school just won't be the same without the pop trio on her back. (Roll eyes here.)

Can't wait to get home! Yeah sure, I do want to know about their day but more importantly, I don't know how to pronounce Daughter's teacher's name so I'm eager to find out!

Zzzzzz

Sigh. Time to get back on the ball.

What have I been doing? Absolutely nothing. Sure, we all went down south for a family reunion. Sure, the man and I went on our dinner cruise, watched a ton of movies, went to dinner enough to last the rest of the year, shopped for bedroom furniture and generally sat around the house looking at each other. But for the most part, while the kids were away, it was work and home and out to dinner and back to work and sleeping on the weekend and running errands and work again.

No writing. Little new business, just maintaining things. Little social networking. I disappeared on my critique group. (Sorry, guys. I still love you!) I'm STILL catching up to emails in my business account. My personal one hasn't seen me in about 3 weeks.

When the cats are away, the mice...sleep. And eat. And play a little too. That's all, folks. But the cats? Well, my parents kept them busy. I think they barely missed us.


















Mr. T is picking them up as I type. I can't wait to squeeze their little cheeks. Thankfully, they are still both young enough to want me to touch them. I just hope they remembered to pack my energy so they can bring it back to me. School starts Monday. I should be awake by then. Going back to sleep now.

Hanging with Mr. T

Oh the silence. It really is a wonderful, boring, lonely, still wonderful thing.

I am always glad to let the kids toddle off for the month to be with my parents where they have the chance to see people from both sides of my family since most of them are in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana. Mr. T wasn't too keen on the idea the first time we did it. Son was 2 at the time so I could understand not wanting to let go, but since I had done the same thing growing up I could see the value of it so I told him he had no choice in the matter. (Yeah yeah. Communication, compromise, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes a spouse has to just shut up and deal with it.) I knew he grew up surrounded by extended family and had no idea what it was like for those of us who didn't, but he'd come to appreciate the "vacation" in time. And he has.

The challenge of course is to always remember that when you have kids and they take most of your time over the years, you run the risk of finding yourself married to a stranger one day down the road when the kids are gone for good. That is unless you take deliberate steps to stay connected despite the kids' schedules and needs. I think it's a necessity - for the sake of your marriage as well as your kids' future relationships, they need to see you two still dig each other. And that means time alone sometime. I think Mr. T and I having had seven years together before marriage and kids came into play helps us out a lot now when we find ourselves alone again.

We went out to dinner this weekend and I told him, "We have to be careful that we don't talk about the kids TOO much." Then we proceeded to talk about the kids - cleaning out their messy closets while they are away; the kind of people they may be one day; why every year at this time of year, many people ask us if there will be a baby #3. I think maybe we're both superstitious about this last one thing and don't want to say anything one way or the other so we just keep going forward and enjoying our time alone. It's pretty easy for us to go back into dating mode but I know it's not easy for everyone since some people never have alone time with their spouses and others get the time but then twiddle their thumbs wondering what to do with it.

Come on, ya'll. It's not that hard. Be creative! Or just allow yourselves to simply remember what it was like to date - except without all the game playing, uncertainty and insecurity. Here's a short list and anyone can feel free to add to it - but be, hmmm, decent, ok? My mother reads this!

1. do I need to spell out the really obvious top of the list? Just be sure you're ok with the possible consequences of pretending to be rabbits, ok? ;-)
2. go to the movies, a play, etc.
3. go to dinner
4. go to the zoo, park or some other outside place
5. go to a museum
6. go on a dinner cruise (mystery, jazz, etc.)
7. go for a drive to some part of the state you never/rarely see
8. plan a real away vacation at the same time as the kids' vacation (mine are still wishing they were with us for that one)
9. do all the typical chores but do them together
10. visit/hang out with friends (I confess. My friends know I tend to disappear about now.)
    
11. rent every movie you can't watch with your kids
12. a lot of daytime stuff is even better at night, so stay up late then go out and do stuff!
13. Go play a game like bowling or pool
    
14. Send each other text messages all day if you have to be apart (what you say is none of my business but when it comes to flirting, this counts and you may find yourself right back at #1)

Mr T. and I are food, movies and travel people, thus the list. But we're always open to suggestions!

So, I came out of my hole to do a quick post, lest I neglect my little blog, and if you'll excuse me, I have to go back into hiding with my husband now. I miss him.

Stepping Up My Technical Game

I am a blogger. Yes I am. But I am not heavy duty. I don't vlog (yet). I don't carry a little camera everywhere I go so I can take great photos to share with you. Wait. I have a cell phone so yes! Yes I DO carry a little camera everywhere I go. Score one for me! So I guess I just need the ability to easily video tape now and I can add a little spice to my blog's life. Kerri said I must go to BlogHer next year because it's in NY and so, I will try because she's right - I should go. Because I am a blogger - allegedly.

I will get the blog look updated too. Hopefully before October and that will help keep things fresh and me interested in what I am doing. (I do bore easily so I need things to at least look different from time to time.) Yes. These changes are planned but not before I finish paying for recent car repairs. And not before I buy a new cell phone a whole 6 or more months early. (Think I'm going with the LG EnV3 this time around but color choices are pathetic so if I can't do better than slate blue by October 4th, then slate blue it will be and I'll have to get covers for the variety of it.)

Now what will I vlog about? Hmm. I don't have a cartoon life like some people I know. (They know who they are.) Nothing really happens to me that leaves you going, "What the heck?! That really happened?" I don't think I'm a particularly strange person. Controlling? Yes. Opinionated? Very. Overall, I think I'm a nice person with a mean streak when I'm really annoyed. And I am a perfectionist. None of this makes for interesting video fodder. Thankfully, I have very entertaining children. That does help. But basically, I'm just...me.

Today, for instance, I am going to leave work and go to another mall to return a top I got that I was hoping matched a purple gypsy (prairie, call it what you will) skirt. It's one of those skirts where the color is light at the top and gets darker as it goes down. I adore the skirt and of course the color because I can never have too much purple in my life, but I couldn't find anything to go with it when I bought it at that wonderful sale price. "Aw, I'll find something." It's been a hunt every since and I HATE shopping (as I get older, my tolerance level for this activity drops more and more.) so this has been one big pain in the butt. If you did not know this already, not all purple is created equal. I think summer white is the only thing you can buy in pieces and know it will work with another summer white piece. Anything else is a crapshoot. So would this be worth vlogging about? Eh, maybe. If I took you shopping with me so I can torture you too while I find purples that don't go with what I have. But that would just make the experience last longer, so I guess you'd have to wait until it was over and I told you whether or not I succeeded.

OK, ok, ok. I got a litle sidetracked. The other technical thing I'd have to do after I finally get a video camera (I already know what to get. I have techies all around me with suggestions.), is figure out the uploading part but I'm not a novice. I'll figure it out. I just don't feeeel like figuring it out. But I do feeeel like making things a little more interesting around here. So I guess I'll go on a little Internet hunt for other little things I can do to make you, my precious reader, oh so happy to come visit me every once in awhile.

And when I get my EnV3, I should be able to take those waiting-room moments to visit all of you a little more regularly too. Because being online all day and all night is just not enough, eh? I must share allll of my life with you! Well, some more of it maybe.

Anyway, got any techie tricks you'd like to share? I'm all ears. But for now, I'm going to go sit in traffic and wish I had a camera so you all could watch me doing nothing but complain about traffic. Oh happy day!

Buying Black

I don't know if you know about Maggie and John Anderson. They are the Chicago couple who have dedicated their money to black-owned businesses for this entire year. It is called The Empowerment Experiment and they are half-way through. I knew about them some time ago but I wasn't keeping close track. However, the idea of keeping black money circulating within black businesses is as ingrained in me as buying American as much as possible or recycling. The couple came back to mind yesterday on the CBS Early Show, probably because it's really close to August, which is Black Business Month according to @ajlovesya over on Twitter and that one was one I didn't know about.

If you missed them on the show yesterday, here's the video, which will hopefully stay available for awhile:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Now, the one thing Maggie Anderson didn't say in response to Larry Elder that I would have said? "Are you freakin' kidding me?" I mean really. If anyone is naive enough to think that Jews don't spend with Jews and Asians don't spend with Asians and Hispanics don't spend with Hispanics then please, go off to some mountaintop to live alone with your ignorance. Of course they do! And no one is calling it racism when they do. They simply understand the value of culture and supporting their own. I am certain many of them and others of different groups at a minimum look to do business with their own first. Of course they do! It's like choosing someone over your own family to not do it. The difference is they may not make a public announcement they are doing it like the Andersons have and so no one calls them on it. Women are publicly supporting women, as we should and as I do, but I haven't heard cries of sexism. What pisses me off is when black people choose to do something others have been doing for a lifetime, suddenly we are being racist, sexist, elitist, whatever.

Here's the thing: What the Andersons are doing is very difficult. The fact is black-owned businesses are not one every corner. Hair dressers and barbers, funeral homes, churches - those are black-owned/run in abundance. Most other businesses/institutions are not. The Andersons at least have a black-owned grocery store in the vicinity. If there is one in CT, I couldn't tell you where it is. So you see, it's a big, not-so-cheap thing to do this experiment. A very big thing. And to do it is not to say they choose to sacrifice quality or customer service or anything a good business should have. Instead, I'll bet you it forces some black businesses who aren't already operating that way to get their acts straight because they are getting attention and it's good for business.

Bizzy Girl and I absolutely seek to work with our own as much as possible. In some places we've been successful. In other places, it didn't work out. So we look until we find the people - of any race - who we feel we can work with. We happily work with a variety of people but in our business and well as in our personal lives, when choosing who you will associate with in any manner, there is an order and you can't tell me it's not the same for everyone - black, Christian and female are top three for us and this order can change. Barring those categories, we want to work with American companies and keep things as close to home as we can. Family friendly matters to us as well. It's not unheard of to be selective in this manner, so why try to make it sound like the Andersons are doing something that will divide people?

As I know I've said in the past, the black race is a fractured, wounded group. We must uplift each other whenever we can. We are so far removed from the greatness we hail from that even ancestral memory is lacking and getting back that former glory must be an intentional action. We have a black president now to help remind us of this. We have people like George Fraser who have been pushing for years for us to understand the power within ourselves, advocating multiple streams of income and business ownership. The Andersons are just one of many people doing what has been the mission for as long as I can remember. Instead of criticizing this - especially black people. Come on now, black people, don't choose to malign your own. - we can choose to celebrate this not just as a race. Every race can choose to uplift their own and we can also choose to uplift each other as Americans. No one needs to be excluded. This is simply work on self that needs to be done. You know how they say you can't love others until you first learn to love yourself? Charity begins at home? That is what this is and there is no reason to apologize for it.

If you have not yet watched the CNBC special Black in America Part 2 (I don't think you can see it online yet), it would behoove you to do so and remember the power of the people.

Blurred Vision

I've been pondering the whole see-it-say-it-create-it belief system. I do believe in it but I think it has some caveats worth paying attention to. I was talking with a friend one night last week about how much clearer things are for me these days - I can see the life I want better than ever but it's not entirely in focus yet. It's enough for me to have something to build on but it's not yet crystal clear. It's like standing at Penn Station (or a million different places in D.C.) and clearly seeing the Washington Monument. But there are streets to navigate and a whole mall in between, as well as lines to wait in. It's not necessarily a straight shot to get there once you arrive at that train stop and start heading in that direction.

My friend thought it wasn't a good thing to not see it clearly. I understood why she said that. A lot of people say it, after all. Normally you need to clearly see your vision in order to obtain it. The more in focus it is, the better your focus can be on the goal. But I had to think about that a second. I had experience with focusing on a vision and I knew that at least once in my life, I had passions and desires to do a myriad of seemingly random things that may have appeared to others to be me simply occupying my own time in a strange city I did not grow up or attend college in. When I first started work on a master's in Religious Studies my father asked me what I was going to do with the degree. "Beats me. I only know I can do a chaplain internship through this program and I'm going to pay for it all myself, one class at a time." Eleven classes and I don't know how many years later, I got to the point where I needed to write my thesis and be done. One day I'll do that. But I got what I wanted - the chaplain experience.

At the same time I was volunteering with AmeriCorps and worked for a social service agency during the day while I was working my regular, full-time night job as a copy editor. I was the editor of and one of the writers for my church newsletter for five years during this time. "What are you going to do with these things?" is a question I got a lot. I'd only smile and say, "beats me. I just know I want to do this." But here's my question back: Why does one always have to know what they are going to do?

Passions are there to help propel you to a greater goal of which you know nothing about. Only God knows. I believe that following your heart/passions is always worthwhile, even if you can't always see where you are going and even if it seems like a really pointless pursuit to the rest of the world or even to yourself.

So I thought about my friend's comment about a clear goal and I finally surmised that a clear goal can sometimes work against you. I think if you always know the exact end, you may possibly be a little lazy in the work to get to that end. I mean, if you knew the end, risks wouldn't be risks but sure things and isn't the excitement in the risk sometimes? If you knew the exact end, wouldn't the road essentially be easy, not the obstacle-ridden path that builds patience, character and wisdom? If the end is always clearly in view, would you even go the direction that has those unexpected sidetracks that lead to something unexpectedly fruitful? And then, consequently, if you're so busy knowing the end and not working toward the unknown, can you ever get to that end?

I'm thinking you have to have a vision, it just doesn't always have to be a clear one. But having that vision isn't enough. You have to be willing to follow your heart's map to get there and open to dealing with the surprises along the way. About 11 years after I started doing those myriad of things that never quite flowed together on a resume, I learned of a job with a start-up company that made my eyes go wide as I read about the job duties and type of person they sought. Everything I had done up until that moment had come together in that one position. I couldn't have purposely prepared for it if I tried. The start-up has been my best job venture to date (It's been 4 years now) as it not only utilizes all the things I love to do but I watch entrepreneurship at its best as I continue to build my own business.

Right now I can still see generalities when it comes to my future, though some specifics have gotten very clear this year. I still don't know exactly how I'm going to get to the Promised Land and admittedly, the desert is a scary place so I may be intentionally closing my eyes to some things. But I know I will get there and I know blind trust is a huge part of how I'll get there and I'm OK with that.

Can You Stand to See More?

I love to watch Clean House. I don't know how they do it - see the huge mess and not get overwhelmed. Maybe because they have each other to spur the process on. It's always painful to change and purge but so far I can only think of one really odd woman who hated the whole thing and wanted to go back to her mess.

At the end, when things are clean and the family has seen the first room and nearly fallen out from the transformation, the host - Niecy Nash - usually asks, "Can you STAND to see more?" I love seeing it every time. So that's my question to the world right now - Can you stand to see more?

I went looking at my old posts, worried that I has not written my prediction for the year thus having no proof of things to come. But I did! Whew! I did say something in my Dream Weaving post back in January. For more years than I know now for sure, I have been telling my friends - one in particular who lives in this weird world with me - what kind of year was ahead. I might say it in December. I might say it in January. I just wait for the feeling to strike and so far it has. Numbers play a role in this. Like 2007, for instance. 7 means completion, biblically speaking. Did anything finish for you in that year? And in 2008 we have new beginnings. I have a friend who asked, "Can a beginning be anything other than new?" Well, technically, I suppose not, but consider the times when you THOUGHT you had ended something and it came back. That would not be a new beginning. But when it is done, really done. That is the new. Anything new start up for you in 2008?

Then there is this year. The 9 is about judgment and finality. My own spin on it is that this is the year of life-altering changes. The kind of stuff that leaves you catching flies with your mouth. (Gross!) The kind of stuff you hoped for but never thought would happen. The kind of stuff you hoped would never happen but consequences must always be played out. There is no getting around it. So this is that kind of year where you reap what you sow and you better hope it was good stuff you sowed.

What's happened so far? Well, just look around you! Did you really predict icons like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett dying on the same day? (By the way, this is one of the pictures of MJ that I prefer.) Ed McMahon earlier that week? I thought it was done because it was 3 after all but loads of people knew Billy Mays too (you know, the OxyClean guy?) and he was a shocker as well.

I have a friend whose husband sold a movie script. It had been a long time coming and she was truly hanging in by being the one with the job with the benefits and still doing her personal pursuits while cheering him on while he did his more theatrical ones, all while working wherever he could (he's not lazy, ya'll). And after who knows how long of giving his due, he finally got what he deserved and I can only imagine the life changes that will come out of this for them. I couldn't be more thrilled. I have another friend - the one who lives in this weird world of numbers with me - and her place of employment is undergoing major layoffs. She's not worried. She's been dealing with major injustice on said job for years and it's all coming to a head when? This year. I have a co-worker who just got engaged to another co-worker and I don't know if she saw it coming - because we all certainly watched it all happen (breakup included) and were still shocked to hear the news - but this certainly counts as a major change in her life this year.

I'm sure everyone has their story. Me? My irons are still in the fire and lots of stuff is still simmering but we have 6 months to go so I'm not worried. We've been building up the business to the major expo we are doing in September so that's where I'm looking for change, but this year has indeed been our best ever for the business and we are really happy about it. Overall, it's been fun just watching the stuff going on around me.

So what's the plan? What is it that you are still waiting to hear about? What is it that's happened to you this year that left you stunned in a good or bad way? What are you still praying about? There are still six precious months to go and that's a long time yet. Can you stand to see more?

Next Stop: Home

I'm having one of those days. Those days where I dream about what would be ideal to me - at least right now. After doing not a blessed thing on Saturday, I spent Sunday morning cleaning my refrigerator and doing at least 5 loads of laundry, all before we went to church. Then taking Mr. T out for a Father's Day dinner after which we came home, I washed Daughter's hair then spent all of He's Just Not That Into You and a little bit of the beginning of Madea Goes To Jail twisting her hair so I wouldn't have to do it for at least 2 weeks. All the while, another 6 or 7 loads of laundry were being done (last 2 were done this morning). I was tired but I felt accomplished too because I really like things to be in order around me.

Then this morning, I got up wishing I were already at work; wishing I could stay home to do whatever else I needed to do at home as it came up but I'm not the SAHM personality so it wouldn't be me being strictly a housewife, but me being a WAHM instead. What if I could focus on Village Works full time? What if I could take care of home too so no one's mess would drive me insane because I'd be there to manage it? Could we have another baby then? Hey, I may even be willing to cook! (But don't press your luck there.)

This morning, this last week of school, I watched the kids run to the bus stop and it was nice to think of Daughter leaving kindergarten soon and Son entering 4th grade next school year. They are such kids now, both of them. Son already has as much of a life as I will let him have at his age and Daughter is vying for her own too. And the more they have lives of their own, the more Mr. T and I can have one yet, for a brief moment, I thought to myself, "I wonder if Mr. T is ready for Tax Deduction #3." I could have asked him. He was right there in the house lounging around the bedroom watching the news. But I didn't want to know his answer. This isn't ideal. I don't want my business to have another maternity leave. It's had 2 already, between Bizzy Girl's and my 3 kids. It needs us to stick around this time. This time it would be way better if the job was my own business and I had to balance that proverbial baby and a real one. It would be much more doable and I wouldn't need to sacrifice nearly as much as if I had a job, a business and a new baby because the business would be the one to suffer.

A friend saw one of our recent puzzle jobs and told Bizzy Girl that we really need to be making the leap into doing this full-time. "You have so many ideas," he gushed. Yeah, we do and he's not the first to tell us this - friends, customers, acquaintances. It's also not the first time we thought of it. What it is, is the first time it's felt like a real possibility. But it wouldn't be easy to do. Mr. T is not the leaping sort and Bizzy Girl is a single mom so she has to leap with much forethought. The more people you are responsible for/to, the bigger your lifeboat needs to be. But if things got to a place where I could make that transition, and Bizzy Girl could have a serious PT income until she was ready to do the same, then you'd know we really worked hard to get it that way. We won't know until January just how far we've come but I don't need a map to tell me we've come miles in one year alone. Our destination has got to be just up ahead.

Baby's Got Bat

Or he was. It's over now. Baseball season is over. Son's team played their first playoff game on Sunday...and it was their last. They lost. After playing 13 games this season and losing 2 of those games, they became the team to beat. One of the coaches from another team was watching. We were watching. They tried. But the other team had a pretty good pitcher and they could barely hit the balls. What ya gonna do? One of their issues, to me, was how hard it was for them to pump themselves up until they were clearly in the lead. Then they could take the enthusiasm and run. I wished they could realize how much they had grown as a team. Sigh. I wanted so much for them to go all the way. They had had a great season. They deserved to go all the way. I may be more upset for them than they are! But Son wants to keep playing and that is a win for me as well as himself - one day. He continues to learn he can't win all the time and even though it's a great lesson, I'll be glad when the obligatory lesson is done and I can say, "Hey Son. It's NICE to win!" OK, I'll say it sooner rather than later. Because it IS nice. In the meanwhile, I'll patiently wait for the next season and see how that goes. See how Son grows. I'm happy that he at least doesn't give up on things he wants to do. He's quite the winner, you know.

It Takes One To Keep The Other's Mother From Going Insane

Last night as I talked on the phone with a friend of mine, Son kept coming at me with homework that he didn't understand and no matter what I said, he didn't get it. As usual he answered similar problems around it correctly but he just couldn't get one in particular. I didn't want to be frustrated anymore.

"Go to bed. You'll see it differently in the morning," I told him. I went back to my friend on the phone as Son went to bed. He was back a minute later. And kept coming back. Each time with the wrong answer.

"Son, you don't understand and you are not understanding me. I don't want to do this anymore and I don't want to get angry. Go to bed and look at it fresh in the morning."

He left.

Then came back. Repeatedly. Needless to say I was losing it and my friend, who experiences a lot of the same with her stepdaughter, chuckled. "He's back?"

"He won't quit!"

She knew my frustration with trying to figure out how to help without enabling him.

Tonight we found ourselves back on the subject of his homework. I was in my car talking to her after getting home from work, not quite ready to be plunged into homework hell.

"Oh that's right," I told her. "You don't know what the problem was because I was trying not to say too much last night." So I told her the problem he was struggling with at that time.

"The problem said '12 doughnuts make a dozen. You have 2 1/2 dozen doughnuts. How many doughnuts do you have?' " I further explained how he gave multiple answers but his very first answer had been 25. "Because of the 1 from the half, he told me. You know, the 1 from the top of the fraction?"

"He thought it was 25," she repeated.

"Yeah."

I heard her silent thinking. "Ohhh," she exclaimed. "He thought it was 1/2 of one doughnut and then half of another doughnut make one!" She laughed at her answer as she insisted that was it.

As I sat in confused silence, she kept laughing. "Girl, where the HECK did your brain just go to," I asked.

"I don't know! But that's how I think!" It's not off the wall. She and Son were both born in March. That little bit of info is not lost on me. She's heard me talk about his drama and she relates because she is dramatic too; we agreed she had drama down pat, but not in a negative way that annoys me. She just shows her emotions in a big way and she is one of the most genuine people I know. Hmm. So is he, when I think about it.

"Why," I asked. "Why did you think that? What does this mean? Why did you go off to some weird detail like that?"

She still couldn't explain it. "Go ask him," she insisted. "See what he says and call me back. I'm telling you that's what he thinks!"

"Fine. I'll call you back."

Never before have I been so enthused by the possibility of dealing with homework I can't effectively explain to him.

He was watching TV when I came in. As usual, homework was "all done except for a couple I need help with." But I was too anxious to deal with the new homework yet. "Did you get the answer to that question today?"

"Yes. My teacher told me."

"But remember you first thought it was 25? Why?"

"Because I thought it was one."

"One?"

"Well, you know, I thought it was half a doughnut," he explained as he drew half an invisible doughnut in the air. My eyes got big and I could barely talk from laughing.

"Wait. So you mean half a doughnut from one group and half a doughnut from the other group and you put them together and get one?"

"Umm hmm," he replied with a most serious look on his face.

"Oh my goodness," was all I could say.

"What?"

"My friend understands you." But he had no clue what I meant.

I called her back and told her the story. "He said what YOU said! What the heck am I supposed to do with this way of thinking?!"

"I don't know," she answered, cracking up at her accuracy. We laughed as we talked about just how very different we were and yet she and I understood each other perfectly from day one, which is why we always worked together so well. It gave me hope that I'd see his vision too one day.

So I tested my new understanding with the homework of the night.

"Ben has three pancakes and 2 sisters. He wants to give them each the same amount. How many pancakes do they each get?"

After first telling me that 3 wasn't an even number, with me responding that they absolutely can have an equal amount, he thought and brightened. "They have half?"

"Half? They each get half a pancake?" It wasn't odd that he was on the right track. He's always on the right track then goes wildly in some other direction.

"Nooo, three halfs."

"3/2? That's not the fraction, Son."

"No," he said again. "Three halfs," he explained. I knew it was going to be some skewed version of what was in my head so I waited. "You know, you take a stack of pancakes and cut them in half? Three halves."

All I could do was smile. After two more wrong answers - "Give them each one and I eat the other? Give them each one and throw the other away?" - I decided to draw a mental picture.

"Son, put three pancakes in your hands." He nodded.

"Sit the girls down at the table." He nodded.

"Give them each a pancake." He nodded.

"What's left?"

"One."

"Now what do you do?"

"Ohh! Cut it in half."

"What do you have?"

"A whole and a half."

And me? Maybe I get a whole new way to meet him halfway as we look for common ground. Thank God for friends who can help me bridge the gap.

The New Girl

The dawn of a new day - the day Daughter starts wearing glasses. It's not the glasses, though, but how much older it suddenly made her. It's still a little weird for me but as you can see, she's handling it like the new accessory it is - complete with cute blue eyeglass case.

Quick Update

• Been changing my photo all over the place and forgot to do it here. So I just did. See?
• Sunday, Son's team lost their second game evah. They are still winners to us. I'm sure we'll see ya'll at the playoffs!
• Daughter wants to be a cheerleader. God help me.
• Village Works is officially blogging because we kinda have to with all that's been going on. You can visit us here: Village Works Piece By Piece.
• It's a brand new month and a chance to try to do a ton more things. Including get our website redesign going AND a blog redesign. Oh yeah, baby. Time for a change there too.
  

Happy June everyone!

Batter's Up!

The Mets were losing 6 to 0 when I came in to watch the game. Son was in the dugout on a field they had never played before. One with proper stadium seating and lights on the field - and loads of gnats eating everyone alive.

"We're losing," he told me when he saw me standing above him.

"Eh. You were losing yesterday too and look how you guys came back in the end."

I'm not worried. It was game 7, I believe. And the Mets had only lost 1 game so far. But it's amazing how the self-esteem of children is a cup that has to be filled daily. Somehow it empties overnight then you have to fill it up all over again the next day. This was their third game this week because of rainouts the previous weeks. The game the night before was tense until the very end, but once they got the leg up, there was no stopping them.

It's actually way more interesting to watch than I anticipated. I had listened to the opposing coaches the first couple of games talk about stealing bases. The Mets were doing that so much - and winning by so much - that they risked embarrassing the losing team, so there was a moratorium declared on stealing bases. The Mets clearly knew how to steal bases but even I knew that if they wanted to get to championship level, they would have to do better than that. They would surely meet their stealing-bases equivalent one day and then what would happen?

But as time has gone on, I've watched them become better at hitting, retrieving the ball to get the other player out before he got to base, pitching and home runs - lots of home runs. You can see them working together more and more and it's pretty cool to see.

In this game, it was now Son's turn at bat. (That's my #3 below.) I called to him as he walked out. "Take chances, Son! You can do it!" He usually becomes a statue when he goes up to bat. Sure, he swings if it seems like he should, but otherwise birds could have mistaken him for a great landing spot.

Not this time.

His teammates called to him to swing for the good balls. His coach called to him to do what they practiced. I watched him bouncing up and down a little bit, emotionless as usual. The balls were mostly bad, fouls, enough so that he didn't strike out but he got to walk to first. That's cool. The next boy up was pretty good at hitting so they would be in a good place for sure.

Son's teammate swung, hit and sent the other team scrambling, their coach in a tizzy over all the fumbling and confusion. Son ran to second. Then third and we all watched the confusion continue.

"Run, Forest, run," Mr T. shouted.

The next thing I knew Son was home, his teammate on third and we parents were jumping up and down screaming in delight because they had done it again - they had come from behind and revved themselves up. They didn't need us anymore. They could cheer themselves on now but it was too late. We were all riled up too. Parents came out of the stands to watch over our little ballplayers. One coach's wife hugged on me as we watched. Another mom was wowing as she taped. A dad was reporting the scores to someone on his phone. We were cautious but excited, confirming with each other everything we were seeing to make sure we were all on the same page.

"Did you see your son," the hugger asked me excitedly. For once my ears weren't in overdrive driving to decipher her thick Spanish accent.

"Oh, I promise I did!" Mr. T was on the side of the field taking the pictures. Daughter was playing in the stands as usual but I had extra sets of eyes helping me track her constant comings and goings so I could focus on Son.

They played happily like the team they were. Mere minutes from the 2-hour mark at which they can stop playing. They were now 8 to 7 and their coach had declared them winners yet again.

Or were they? More confusion as our hopes to get out of the gnats were dashed. The other coach said something. The umpire said something. They had to play an extra 15 minutes? What?

We all looked at each other.

"Aw, they're just mad 'cause they lost!"

Whatever had happened, the game was not quite over and the batter for the other team was up.

I looked at the videotaping mom whose eyes got big. "Uh oh," we said to each other. This was the kid, if any kid could, who could knock that ball out of the park. If he hits and gets to home, we're tied. He hits but thankfully our boys are quick and he is out before he starts.

We erupt in relief. This was their best player. Surely the Mets would be able to hold off anyone coming in after him. And so they did - and won for the second time that evening.

This is where I am, my friends. Village Works is doing tons of vending, creating new cards and preparing for future events. Of course my job continues to be nonstop action and Son's cub scout activities continue, though they wrap up this week as he becomes a Webelo 1. (Yes!) But in between all this movement, I am watching Son play with his team, winning game after game, coming back from far behind or taking the lead and never letting go. We're freezing out there most times, being eaten by bugs other times, but somehow we're never bored by this 2-hour display of amateur athleticism.

I can't think of a better way to spend my time, watching my son realize that he can do something and have such a big impact on everyone around him. It's truly awe-inspiring.

5 Relearned Lessons in Customer Service

The past month has been an interesting lesson in customer service. People we have worked with in a business-to-business capacity for months or years suddenly had all kinds of unfortunate circumstances befall them or have had good things happen to them that takes up their time. All of these people were small business owners, just like us. We have loved the work of these people in the past. We have praised them to the hilt to others. We know this is just a bump in their road and they won't lose our business because of these setbacks, but it doesn't change the fact that this time around we were less than thrilled with something they did or did not do. The common denominator? Communication.

The circumstances were illnesses and machinery failure and increase in workload. We have also dealt with people in the past on a very limited basis because of this same thing - lack of clear communication. We weren't feeling heard, let alone understood. We were feeling like they came to the table with preconceived notions and even after discussing things, we weren't getting what we expected. The main offender of this last situation worked with us for about 2 or 3 months and we had to let him go. It was crazy how I would say, "Do X" and he would come back to me asking, "What do you want to do?" or worse, I would say, "I need you to do things 1, 2, 3 and 4" and he'd come back - very late - with things 1 and 4 done but nary a word about the middle two, as if I hadn't said them at all. That shows you really don't listen or read, and you are not acting like you care. I give really detailed emails, folks. Usually I know exactly what I want and I don't have time or desire to re-explain things. I like to work with people with a certain amount of intuition about my wants and need and loads of self-initiative but it's not easy to find these qualities.

These events formed a huge reminder for my business partner and me. We don't want people to think these things of Village Works. It has occurred to me after these recent experiences that maybe there is a lesson here for us to focus on for the sake of our own business and growing customer base. Basically it is this: Talk your customers at every stage of the game and talk to them directly and honestly. Blogging and newsletters to communicate some major things that affects lots of people is great, but if you are going to be late getting Mr. Smith's job done because of something beyond your control, just tell Mr. Smith the truth. He may be able to even extend your deadline. He may not care and will just say thanks for letting him know. He may walk away and then you know what you have? Less stress and more time for your other customers.

So this is what we know about customer service and communicating with customers, but have relearned and it is sticking with us all the more:

1 - Be the doctor. I took a psych class in college and have rudimentary understanding of the field so bear with me. But as I recall, one of the differences between a psychiatrist and a psychologis, is that psychiatrists generally work with people who are not quite aware of what their issues are so they help diagnosis the illness so they can begin to find solutions. Psychologists are generally working with people who know their problem but still need help solving it. Figure out which you need to be and do that, but in order to do either one, guess what? You have to listen to your customer first! Remember that it's really not about what you can do for your customer initially. First you want to know what your customer wants you to do for them. Let them exhaust their list. Maybe you know something won't work but I believe they will listen more readily if they feel like you first heard their desires and, like any good relationship, you have said back, "This is what I am hearing. Am I understanding you correctly?" After that, you can bring out what you have to say. Hey, maybe even wait for a second meeting which gives everyone the chance to think about things and come back to the table fresh.

2 - Stay in touch. Small businesses really need to take this heart. You don't want to appear small or unable to do a job. But most people just want to work with people they like and feel they can trust. Size really doesn't matter - usually. But what happens when you, the small business owner, get sick or go on vacation? You don't want to lose business but I would like to suggest to you that it is better to say you are sick and will be back to work in X days/weeks than to not say anything at all or pass everything on to someone else without your customer's knowledge. It really all depends on how you normally work and what your customer has become used to. If you are going to stray from the norm, let them know. Auto messages, recorded away messages, emails, whatever you need to let them know what is going on. I believe you will gain their respect and continued loyalty. I know you would have mine. It takes a lot of work to find the right service providers. Why would I walk away so easily?

3 - Be a giver. For Village Works, part of what we enjoy doing is not just doing the job you expect from us. We try to always add a little personal touch to the job that is truly specific to the job or person for whom the job is being done. Special packaging for the products, a few extra items added in because we figured there may be some unexpected need. We do what comes to our hearts at that time and create something we'd personally enjoy receiving or giving. The customer isn't expecting it. It's part of how we under promise and over deliver and we enjoy the surprise of doing things that way. This works for us. It may not work for others but then again, who doesn't like a little coupon with their purchase or some kind of discount just for referring a new customer? We at Village Works think about what we'd like to see or receive and do no less than not just what the customer wants, but what we know would make it something we'd be proud to have for ourselves.

4 - Do unto customers as you would want done unto you. I think I've said this in a few different ways already above. Just put yourself in your customer's shoes for a brief moment. I know you can do it because you most likely already feel like something isn't quite right or you are feeling a little guilty about some part of the communication you are having with the customer. Or maybe you are beginning to feel annoyed by that customer's persistence but what are they bugging you about? Is it the same question of when, when, when or how, how, how or please call me? It may be time to go back to Number 1 - figure out what their issue is and help them solve it by simply talking to them.

5 - Even if there is a parting of ways, give your best service. Sometimes things just don't work out. But I can tell you from a customer's point of view that just because the fit is no longer right for us, or wasn't right enough to work with you in the first place, doesn't mean we won't recommend you. My business partner and I are huge believers in telling others about our positive experiences strictly so others will benefit. We enjoy doing it! But we won't hesitate to talk about the shoddy experiences too. You have to remember that my leaving doesn't necessarily mean I won't be back and it also doesn't mean I won't send customers your way. My leaving isn't always a reflection on you so give us your best service at all times because you just never know what we'll say or do for you. Don't underestimate our ability to help you grow.

As businesses, I think we need to remember that we are customers too and stepping in that role when dealing with our own customers can be helpful to all involved. If we wouldn't appreciate being treated a certain way, should our customers feel any less?

Waiting, Waiting

Look at me posting twice in one night. But I forgot to mention this email I got today - well, yesterday now. Is it weird that it actually freaked me out a little?

---

Hello, Super Moms!

The final tabulations for winners in the first annual Leading Moms in Business competition are in. But there is still much to do!

Maximum Exposure for the 200 Winners

We at StartupNation are working fast and furious to get the winners maximum exposure, including:

• Press release template for each winner
• Feature stories on select winners
• StartupNation site wide winner promotions
• Newsletter promotions for the 2009 results
• Negotiations with major media to cover the winners after the results are published

Nice to-do list, isn’t it!

Friday, April 24 - Confidential Winner Announcement

We plan to update you via email this Friday, April 24, with a confidential announcement of winners and your rank among them.

You blew us away with your resourcefulness, persistence, creativity and spirit during the competition. Guess we should’ve expected that from a group of entrepreneurs! Over 600,000 votes were amassed by several thousand contestants. We received a ton of feedback from contestants about how the contest added a level of excitement and engagement for moms, their businesses and their supporters. We’re incredibly gratified to hear this news.

Leading Moms Networking Group - to go live this spring

One very cool thing: We’re forming a private, invitation-only online networking group to allow this year’s contestants to stay in touch and support each other on an ongoing basis. Put your name on the invite list if you would like to be a part of this elite networking group.

Add me to the invite list

Create Additional Buzz

Regardless of whether you’re named a winner, we think you’re a winner simply for competing and being savvy enough to create buzz for your business. If you’d like to create additional buzz and you aren’t named a winner this year, for a discounted fee StartupNation can create a feature story about you and/or a fully-produced, hosted podcast interview with you by phone for your own promotional use.

Learn about being featured

As always, we wish you success and hope we can continue to support you as you pursue your dreams in business.

Sincerely,

Rich Sloan (and StartupNation team)

Hang On Everybody!

It's nearly 1 a.m.. I have been at this kitchen table since 7, dictating to my kids that it was time for bed; talking to Bizzy Girl about business plans and ideas; talking to one of the pastors of my church about the newsletter HE is editing and that I have - without any effort from me - been pulled into helping out with. But Bizzy Girl, also drafted, said we are the advisory board only. On the DL. Ghosts in the machine of this publication. We will NOT attend meetings or take public recognition or do more than help in word.

But I am editing copy for them. (About 15 years as a member, over 3,000 on the roll and somehow I am still the only copy editor in the place.)
I am helping them with logistics and processes for how to do this thing.
I am getting printing quotes.
I am the middle woman for some info when I keep trying to extricate myself.

I was responsible to myself. Honest! Even Bizzy Girl and our friend who helps us with graphic design in our business (let's call her "Simply Lovely" since she'll most likely be mentioned again) told them, "Monica is NOT available. She won't come back. Don't even ask."

He asked.

I rolled my eyes and helped anyway. But I won't get in too deep. No way. Ow. Sorry. A papercut from the newsletter copy I am swimming in tonight.

The rest? Business is amazing and Bizzy Girl and I are Dizzy Girls. A slight tweak in our perspective I think did the trick, as well as stepping out on faith. It's paying off. We have made so far this year more than we had made by the end of last and are on track to this being a turnaround year for us in many ways. That's why I'm STILL not here properly. With the sales we've been doing and the email campaigns and the networking - really, really EXCELLENT networking - and the ideas we've been generating and developing, and that contest which inspired a major website redesign (in the works) and just having Bizzy Girl working at a higher level than ever before, it's allll good. Tiring, but good. Combine that with the suddenly hectic schedules of my tiny tots...I can't think too far ahead or I may explode.

So here I am blogging. Looking at my to-do list. Proofing new greeting cards right after finally sending off those edited newsletter stories. So thrilled I have to do an invoice before I go to bed too and now, darn it, I've got a quick article idea that I think I'll post over on Biznik, even though I was thinking of pulling out of that group. Must ponder that one.

OK, now I'm rambling over here and you don't come here to see me ramble and lose my mind, unless you are the kind of person who wants to say, "See? I knew you couldn't be a mother and a wife and run a business and have a life and write a book and learn to cook...(sorry. Dr. Suess temporarily took over)." Yeah, if you came over here to see me fail, there's nothing to see here. I'd suggest you move on.

Now please excuse me while I go conquer some more mountains.

Follow the Bouncing Blog

So, I emailed Stesha of HotChocolateCaramelMoccha and found out she had redone her blog. Plus, she is also doing a new Chick Chat with Three Bay B Chicks in which they are going to be vlogging about various topics. So after I left Stesha, I went to the Chicks and from there I visited Pooba, Optimistic Cynicism and finally The World According to Me where I became sidetracked by one of her posts that led me to a site where I could find out amazing things about myself.

Followed that? Good. You're better than I am.

And by the way, yes, I have considered vlogging but the camera I have is for my desktop which is suffering from acute keyboarditis right now and I may have to operate and do a keyboard transplant. For now it's on the list awaiting a donation. So I hang with my laptop which has no video capability. But Son keeps wanting to do something on YouTube that is Pokemon related - everything is Pokeon related - and he may be the lie I tell myself about why I need to invest in whatever technology that will enable me to transfer video from our camcorder to the laptop. I'm sure it's simple, yeah, yeah. I don't wanna know right now. No, nope. Don't tell me. I'm not ready to go there yet. Besides, don't you want to know the amazing facts about me? KathyB started this (for me) and I liked it so here you go.

Ten Amazing Facts about Monica

1. Monica is only six percent water. And this would be true right now. I love water, generally. Drinking it. Not swimming in it. But I don't usually eat and drink. I eat THEN drink, so I don't hydrate as much as I should. And right now I am in full soda mode. A Pepsi a day because I don't drink coffee and that is my coffee. And I hate tea so don't bother suggesting.
   
2. The ace of spades in a playing card deck symbolizes Monica! Pointy head? Wide hips? Little legs? Hmmm.
   
3. Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by Monica. And then melted down to form the beautiful creation that is The Rock over at Madame Tussaint's Wax Museum. He is a thing of beauty. Go visit him.
   
4. Monica kept at the window will keep vampires at bay! Because I am a vampire myself and there can be only one ruler here.
   
5. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find Monica. Don't ask and I won't tell that you didn't ask.
   
6. Without Monica, we would have to pollinate apple trees by hand. I think they confused this one with my daughter. She is the one who gives apple trees a reason to live. She LOVES apples. (and other fruit too.)
   
7. The Church of Scientology was founded in 1953, at Washington D.C., by Monica. Clearly someone was following me. I mean I AM from D.C. and I suppose I could have done this in my sleep. I plead the fifth.
   
8. Europe is the only continent that lacks Monica. I am a natural resource indiginous to here. I am costly to import. They can't afford me.
   
9. Monica is black with white stripes, not white with black stripes. This is true. And I accent that with purple. (You were expecting red?)
   
10. Finding Monica on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck. But giving me away is probably even better for you because it is morning after all and I tend to go sour in the mornings.
    

It's a Roller Coaster so Throw Your Hands Up!

I've been thinking about the amount of things I need and want to do:

• Work
• Taking care of home
• Managing a business
• Church/church activities
• Son's social life
• Daughter's social life
• Trying not to let Mr. T forget he's the man. (ha!)

While I'm thinking, I'm thinking about all this work/life balance we are constantly striving to obtain and you have one school of thought that says, "You can have it all!" And another school of thought that says,
"You can have it all! - Eventually." Mixed in there is the understanding that we can find balance if we try. And there are those who say, "Naw! No balance. Only managing."

I'm close to that last one I think. But when I think of balance, I think of a see-saw. Or the infamous scales from Blind Justice or the Pisces sign, whatever your preference may be. But that denotes some sort of equality and shifting of weight from one to the other to either balance or at least keep from being tipped off the contraption.

But a see-saw is so limiting and not true to life. It has ups and downs, sure, but if that is a metaphor for life, then all you have is ups and downs, sometimes stuck in the middle, sometimes jumping at the bumps but you always know when to expect the bumps. That's not life. At least not the life of a mother.

I say life is a roller coaster; organized chaos is the goal here because if you are a mother, you are not only managing your life, which you maybe can control, but the lives of your family and can you really control all their stuff to your satisfaction? No. Don't even pretend like you can. Because if I could, I would not be faced with Son's Little League Opening Day happening on the same day as Daughter's fashion show at the church. His is earlier but she has to be at hers about 3 hours before the start and overlap is a certainty. So who wins? Well, we all do since we're a 2-parent home and we all lose a little too. So I'll try to go to his for a bit before I have to take her to hers. And he and Mr. T can come to hers when they are done at his. And we'll all collapse later that night. That's a roller coaster, ya'll. Pure and simple. Highs, lows, ups, downs, unexpected twists, slow starts, fast plummets. Is this not life?

Got a poll over there in the sidebar and plenty of room for comments here. (And by the way, I'm working on a book about this whole thing. More to come. ;-D) Share! Share!

10% of What?

Know why I love God so much? Because He follows me around everywhere I go.

Ever see that movie In the Mouth of Madness? It's just one of my favorite allegedly scary movies. (Not my definition of scary. Just really weird and fun. I am a Stephen King kind of person, after all.)



There's a scene in this where Trent is trying to get away and he drives from the maddening crowd only to find himself right back where he started, no matter how many times he tries. Eventually he has to give up. Now, that's not to say that being a child of God is insanity or maddening, and I could certainly give you a Biblical reference that illustrates the point just as well. But this movie is just a lot of fun.

Anyhoo, it's my point. No matter where I go, what I do, He's right there quietly by my side - or at my back, or in front of me, you pick the location, He's there. And it's one of the reasons I love Him so much because you can't get that kind of selfless devotion from most adults. And what's cool is I don't deserve it. No one does really, but I know I don't because I don't do everything with His best interests in mind because sometimes I'm too lazy to do it or I simply don't feel like it. Glad He doesn't do that back, huh?

The Bible tells us that no one can snatch us from His hand, provided of course you choose to be there. "Snatch" implies stolen so you can choose to walk away but no one can steal you. (John 10:28)

One of my biggest struggles was tithing. And not because I've never done it but because I did for a long time and after we bought the house and things got REALLY tight, Mr. T says one day that you have to do the bills first. Now to me, tithing is not a gray area. I believe there are lots of things that some people believe MUST be done a certain way and the Bible does not support that. But tithing has always been cut and dried to me.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." - Malachi 3:10.

That's Old Testament, sure. But there is also the New Testament widow:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." - Mark 12:41-44

I already know what happens when you tithe. I've had many a financial miracle. I've experienced the "oil that never runs out." I KNOW faithfulness in this area works. So why stop? Even though Mr. T is Christian, this is one thing I believe he still needs to get a better understanding of. But because he's my husband, I told him I will let him lead on this one - sorta. We have a house fund but the other money stays separate. So I didn't HAVE to do it but one of my goals is to stand before God (a very long time from now) and have Him say, "Monica, you really did try to compromise. Well done." Compromise over. I'm going back to my way. Make that God's way.

On the way to the accountant yesterday, after a year of not really tithing - a little here, a little there, but not true tithing - I talked to myself. "It's time. Things really are pretty much the same. We're blessed but I don't want to hinder anything else God has for us because I am knowingly not doing what my spirit is telling me I should." I tell you I could just feel Him at my back telling me, "It's OK. I never left you."

Those life-altering changes in 2009 I told you I felt coming? They are a-comin'. Trust me. And I don't want anything in the way. Don't get me wrong. It's gonna be a true sacrifice to tithe again in the hard times and I'm not even going to do it the way I think it should be done - 10% off the gross. I'll do off the net first, but tithing in the easy times isn't really a test of faith anyway. This will be. I'll let you know how He proves himself.

The Huts! The Huts! The Huts Are on Fiyah!

I was minding my business - literally - trying to get a calendar together of all the stuff we want to do and are doing for the biz because I am going nuts with stuff in my head. I was popping in on Twitter to chat up new friends when a local friend pops in and says I'm on fire. Took a second to register what she meant and then I ran to the website. Lo and behold, I saw the above. Yes, my friends, thanks to you and so many others on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WIBO and personal friends and family, we are finally on fire and while that is no guarantee, I think that will help secure us in the top 200. I'm still urging anyone to vote because we have until midnight PT, which is 3 a.m. my time.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am at the possibility. The free publicity could do so many things for us. Our free Connecticut Post ad ran today (we won it in the expo we did in December with our business workshop alumni group, WIBO) and we got a call from that ad from a woman who wanted to see the puzzles. Who wasn't oh so thrilled that we had just been to our new store, gave that storeowner puzzles, then went to our first store and dropped some off with that storeowner? I was able to tell that woman where she could go see them and it was literally in her neighborhood. She was happy. So was I.

Now that free ad we won? As my mother and I worked on it - thank God for a mother who is a graphic designer - we got it to something I loved. I sent it in and was told we actually had more space than I realized. So we added some things. That ad ran in the OpEd page in the A section of the paper today. I found out that that ad, due to placement, was worth over $1,600. God? You bet!

I can't recall at the moment if I made my yearly prediction here when 2009 started or before 2008 closed but I have had feelings about the way a year would be for a really long time now. I do go by number somewhat - 7 means completion (the year a lot of people I know wrapped up some major stuff in their lives. Some good, some not so good things.); 8 means new beginnings (the year Obama was elected and my nephew was born). This year? It was hard to define but I knew this: Whatever you have sown in the past, be on the watch. You are going to reap it in a lifechanging way. Whew! If ever there was a time to keep God in front of you, this is it.

An expensive ad for free.
A third location.
So very many opportunities via the wonderful people on Twitter.
Maybe this contest, which means more free publicity.

It's only April.

I am praying to God that He give us the wisdom to step in the right direction. Keep the vision before us and Him in the middle. And most of all give us the courage to do new things and embrace success. There are so many people we want to bless. Success would be for them as much as ourselves.

To all of you who voted even once and especially to those who voted more than once, thank you for placing us in a great position. I hope to report back here that we were not just top 200 but top 100. Top 50! Number 1!