What would Judi do?

My friend, Alissa, over at Clever Compass ( http://www.clevercompass.com/ ) is doing a Friday 5 series and has asked me to join.  I'm in! This week's 5 is MAGIC ! Hmmmm..... MAGIC !  I've had a handful of times in my life that involve magic.  My favs? 1.  When I was little, my mom used magic to make the traffic lights turn green.  She did that for years!   It wasn't until I was driving that I realized she watched the opposing lights and when they turned yellow, she'd start her poem "Abracadabra, abracadee.  Red light turn green for me!"  It worked every time. 2.  In our brief quest to decide if we would raise our kids Catholic or Methodist, the ex and I visited a few churches.  One was an interesting Catholic church in Hillandale.  There were folks speaking all sorts of different languages and people said hello to us (a new experience for us at the time).  I have no idea what the sermon was about but the pri...

When I become Queen of the World (yeah, here we go again), I'm going to have Respect Police.  It seems to me that much of what's wrong with the world could be fixed or at least improved if people were more respectful of each other. Now, that said, I don't always follow that advice.  I tend to yell a lot, at least when pushed.  I don't have much patience and sometimes that shows as a lack of respect for folks.  I have sensory issues and when I'm on overload, all respect is gone.  I need sound to stop and stop now. I decided to try something a little different today.  I didn't really make a decision to change per se but I did wake up deciding today was going to be a better day.  I woke up the girls in a kind, friendly way (this is our routine until a certain someone refuses to get out of the bed.  Then voices get raised - but not today!).  I was a little late so I asked them to get ready quickly, get breakfast and start on lunches while I s...

In two weeks, it will all be over.  Well, two weeks and one day.  If I live through this, I will consider this a success. It's been a hell of a ride.  Some weeks have been good; others less so.  Last week was miserable.  I felt like I couldn't walk.  I felt like I was letting people down. I felt failure through every bone in my body.  My feet and legs were bloody, my spirit was destroyed.  My walking partner for that day, Andrew, was my cheerleader.  I might have given up and taken the bus home but I didn't.  That in itself was a victory, though I couldn't see it at the time. I may have written about this before, I can't remember.  I think it about it daily, though.  Back in January when Amanda and I were sitting in the information meeting about the walk, she asked me if I'd be able to do this if Ruth died.  Sure, I said.  I'm doing this for me as much as for her.  That won't be a problem.  It wasn't goi...

My mother once said I was raising rabble rousers - kids who are very much like me and while they don't start the fires, occasionally they need to fan the flames.  They can't help themselves much like I can't help myself.  Especially with the religious protesters.  I don't seek them out.  They find me, which makes them fair game. First we stumbled upon the "Put God and Prayer Back In Schools" folks.  There they stood, holding their big wooden crosses.  I get a star in my crown today for not talking to them.  After all, which God do they want in schools?  Allah?  Yahweh?  Jesus?  Who makes that decision?  As someone who does have a faith of sorts, I don't want God back in schools.  I want to teach my children.  That's my job, not the teacher's.  They left before I got my picture taken with them.  Rats. There were lots of people trying to push their religious propaganda at me.  I wasn't the only...

Me:  I would like a day of boring.  I want nothing to happen for one day. A:  That will not happen, Mommy.  Not to you.  ( thinks for a minute)   You would not be happy with boring.  It's, well, boring ! She's right.  Boring is boring.  I don't want it all the time.  Just for a day.  Maybe one day a month could be boring. Yesterday started out quiet enough.  Work was work.  It was fine.  I arrived at the track after school to walk around while the girls did their Girls on the Run thing.  School friends were there with their dog.  All was great.  Then the dog got jumpy because the girls (two of theirs and my two) were jumpy and playing and SNAP!   There went the dog's mouth on A's tummy.  Shirt is ripped.  There appears to be a little blood. And all four girls are crying.  There goes boring right out of sight. (Note:  this wasn't the girls' fault or even the dog owner's f...

Easter has always been my favorite holiday.  I love Spring  I love the joyful feeling of the holiday.  I love it all.  But it's different now. Stores are open.  I remember most things being closed on Easter when I was growing up.  People go about their normal activities - it's not a special day any more. Growing up, I went to church on Easter.  I don't do that anymore.  I never understood the whole "He died for your sins" and was resurrected thing.  I always felt that I was accountable for my own sins - whether or not someone died for me (which is a feeling I really don't like.  I don't want someone dying for me!).  Still, everyone at church was happy (they believed more than I, apparently).  The music was happy.  Everything had a positive vibe. I still like Easter.  But I don't bring my kids to church, which is a decision that gives me mixed feelings.  We do outside things most years.  I don't do the ...

I've started walking around the city while training for my Avon Walk.  I have always loved cities.  I find peace among a lot of people.  I love the sights, the smells and the sounds.  I feel alive there. I left the convention center where I was working and just headed up 7th Street.  I don't know exactly where it turned into Georgia Avenue but I knew it would.  I walked through some pretty interesting areas.  There were people sitting out on their front stoops, walking around, going from point A to point B and just wandering around.  People knew each other - I was clearly an outsider.  I was less of an outsider around Howard University, though I'm pretty sure I didn't look like their standard student.  I didn't feel unwelcome anywhere, but I didn't feel like I belonged there either.  Still, it was a different way to see the city. When Amanda and I walked from Silver Spring to the White House last Saturday, we walked up 16th str...