Talents and Jobs--The Value of Work

I come from a family of entrepreneurs--
not your million dollar kind--darn it--
but the garden-variety-salesmen-type.

My dad was a salesman for a living--
he used to say he could sell
"ice to an eskimo"
and when he left the house it was,
"I'm goin' to see a man about a dog"--
which, until I was like 8 or 9 years old,
I thought he was actually going to see
a man
about a dog.
Because of my dad's job--
a Food Broker,
we had lots of different kinds of
food
and
other products come thru our house
in huge amounts that most of my friends'
homes did not--
such as a freezer full of
Sarah Lee cakes and pies,
PeterPaul candies by the boxfull,
RiceaRoni by cases,
GreenGiant frozen foods
Kenner toys like Barbies, Suzy Homemaker ovens,
"Skip-its", and all kinds of toys.

Since giveaways have always been around,
he'd have odds and ends of little things too--
and my mom would set us little kids loose in the
neighborhood
to sell whatever we could--
one year,
it was christmas candles shaped like
snowman, Santa and Mrs. Claus, christmas trees, etc.
We piled them in the wagon
and went door to door
with my 4 year old brother in the wagon
and went around the block selling them for
.15 cents a piece.
We made some extra cash,
and gave mom some quiet time.
It also taught us lessons on being
social.
Mom would coach us before we left
with our wagon:

"Ring the doorbell and wait for them to answer.

Say, 'Hello Ma'am, my name is _________. 

I've got some beautiful candles I'd like to show you.'--

Then hold them out so the person can see them,

and tell them they're for sale for fifteen cents. 

That's one dime and one nickel."

And that's what we did.

We were always looking for opportunities to sell things--
my dad had a good job but was terrible with money.
It was either feast or famine
around our house.
I mean it--
there were weeks where we only had
rice-a-roni for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Or
just Sarah Lee cakes and pies
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To give some perspective,
I was nearly 40 years old before I ever
bought
a single box of rice-a-roni
or a Sarah Lee pound cake.

Anywho--

When I was around thirteen,
I would look thru magazines and come across
little ads to sell
Burpee Seeds
or
All-Occasion -Cards--
the companies would send you
samples
that you could take door to door
and order sales for--
or with the seeds,
you could just sell what they sent you;
split the profits down the middle
and send them their share via money order.
The All-Occasion-Cards,
usually had
"personalized imprinting" on them,
so you could only sell about half of them
upfront,
the rest had to be special ordered.

I also had summer jobs
selling the Miami Herald,
the Charlotte Observer,
and the Denver Post--
depending on which city I lived in--
my brothers and I all did that.

On a side note--
I also picked peppers and
cucumbers as a kid in Florida.
But that's another story.

I babysat all the time
for neighbors and friends
through most of high school.

My first real job
was at Lakeside Amusement Park
in
Lakewood, Colorado
as a Games Attendant.
It was a great job for a teenager--
when we weren't on the clock,
we could ride rides for free--
and what's not to love about that?

My second real job was
at Target!
No kidding!
I loved it then and I love it now.

I am a jack-of-all trades--
I've worked as a
*Chairside Dental Assistant,
*Yogurt/Ice Cream Store Assistant Manager,
*Cambridge Diet Consultant's personal secretary, (do you remember Cambridge Diet?)
*Retail sales: Sears, in their women's department;
*JCPenney's Fine Jewelry associate and merchandising assistant,
*Restaurants: Winchell's Donuts, Red Lobster, Pizza Hut,
*So-Fro Fabric Store clerk
*Bank Teller for Nationsbank and Bank One,
*Chiropractic Office--front and back office,
*411-phone operator & an answering service operator,
*floral decorator's assistant,
*midwife's assistant,
*doula,
*home stager,
and something that is on the horizon
that I am so stinkin' excited about!

Times have changed so much--
it's cliche but it's true--
I would never send my kids
around a neighborhood to sell
anything without me--
we don't even do fundraisers for schools
that involved door-to-door sales.
It's just too dangerous.
Neighborhoods aren't the same anymore,
ya know?

I learned things from my experiences
doing different jobs
from a young age--
One is,
you can learn just about anything
if you have the right attitude
and the right teacher.
Another is,
there are few things sweeter than
earning a paycheck
no matter how old you are.
You can make some great friends
in the process too
and your understanding of the world
around you has more clarity
when you've learned something new.
I have more patience at restaurants
and with waitresses--
because of that one summer at Pizza Hut.
Same goes for waiting in the lines
at the Bank.
I appreciate floral arrangements on a different level,
because I was the prep-gal for the florist.
The dentist office is no more a mystery than a
Chiropractic office to me.
I'm as comfortable in one as the other,
and so are my yahoos.
I love to listen to birth stories
or home decorating ventures...
the process of each is so interesting to me!
With each job
I've gained or refined a talent--
whether it's a mechanical talent
or a social awareness,
it all adds up.

Work is good for the soul.

What about you?
What kinds of jobs have you had?
Any that you loved or hated?

Summer Daydreams

Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill, laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.
-- Rupert Brooke

Is it July already?
Lazy summer mornings
where the kids all sleep in,
still wearing their playclothes from the day before.
Oh this is the summer of my youth too.

Dreaming of dandelions kissed
just the day before--
fresh-picked
earthy smelling
dirt is a natural consequence
of the fun.

Running down sun-beaten paths
lined with overgrown grasses from May showers,
the heat of a long June has dried to a crisp.

Let's run to the little pond
with our nets in hand
to scoop up an afternoon's delight
of tiny minnows and catch a sunfish
or dragonflies that flit across the water

The cool water bids us in a little closer
while the sandy bottom tingles our feet...
is this not the stuff of summer??

Even the animal kingdom relishes
the freedom of lazy days
and cool relief...
Kota bolts in and out of the water
answering the innate voices of her
waterdog conscience--
JUMP IN!
JUMP IN!
Lap it up, Girl!
Lap it up!

Thistles grow taller than children
in this alpine-desert
that is
The Rockies...

Another gift of summer...
the delicate thorns form a crown
around the budding majenta beauty
it's hard not to be impressed
by the regality of a Thistle.

While Kota is at the other end of the pond,
we'll dip our nets one more time...
stand still,
holding the net motionless--
didn't you know that's the way to catch a fish
these days, Mom?

Grab the biggest stick you can on days like these.
No cause for modesty
on this summer day!
If you can haul it,
it's yours forever!


The long days of summer
are the days of youth!
To be explored and absorbed
out in the sunlight
wide-eyed and eager
to soak it all up--
to get while the gettin's good!

Oh, bring again my heart's content,

Thou Spirit of the Summer-time!

-- William Allingham

Chickens and Children

"Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens"

I grew up with hen houses--

where you open the coop in the morning, 

and the chickens come running at you,

cuz' hey! they know you've breakfast--
you've gotta move fast,

so you toss a handful of grain in another direction

and watch them all 

run for it,

which gives you a moment to fill-up

the feed tray with grain

and check the water trough,

then run behind the hen houses

to get the eggs.
We had a mean rotten rooster--
he'd come at you full-force,
full of spit and vinegar
and use his sharp pointy beak to peck
the back of your legs
your toes
and once he even jumped on the back of
my four year old brother, Khris
and pecked his head!
We heard him screaming,
my dad ran out to the chicken coop,
and yanked that bird off Khris
so hard
I thought we were having chicken for dinner that night.
Instead of killing the rooster,
my dad traded it for a different rooster
with a neighbor down the road.

We had been taught how to handle
chickens,
how to care for them,
raise them,
remove their eggs carefully,
and even how to pluck them.
We had rules on how to go in the coop--
carefully,
and shut it immediately
so none of the chickens got out,
and the dog couldn't get in!
We loved the little fluffy chicks,
and were taught how to handle them too.
altho' this one time
we tied yarn around their little necks
and try to "walk" them around the hen yard.
That had to stop when my brother yanked too hard
on a little chicks neck--
and well,
the fun was over pretty quick.

I didn't know it then,
but raising kids is alot like
raising chickens.

We have rules in our house.
Not a ton, mind you
but enough that I can keep my sanity
the kids can learn what they need to learn
to grow up and move on
when they're of age
and I don't have to worry about
visiting them in a
penitentiary someday.

The obvious rules for civility:
No hitting.
No spitting.
No shoes on the sofa.
No acting like a crazy maniac in the house,
or for that matter,
anywhere else.
No throwing balls/frisbees/toys/people/anything to anyone in the house.

There are also those rules that are set
to teach respect for others--
*Wait your turn--to speak, to use the loo, to use community property, etc.
*Don't take things that are not yours.
*Knock before opening a bedroom door.
*Ask before taking more than your share of treats or
 whatever else is considered community property.

Then there are rules that are set for learning Self-Mastery:
*Do your homework.
*Keep up with your room and your daily chores.
*Go to bed on time and get up on time.
*Be moderate in your hobbies/interests.
*Watch your language and your tone.

And on and on.

It's important to have standards in our home,
otherwise it'd be what Jeff Foxworthy calls,
"PANDEMONIUM!"

So when I say,
raising kids is like being pecked to death by chickens--
I know whereof I speak...
chicken coops can be chaotic
if you don't know what you're doing--
but they can be really fun
when you do.

Do You Zumba Yet??

You know you like something
when
you always remember it, right?

So even with my memory loss "stuff"
I'm dealing with,
I remember to go to
ZUMBA at our YMCA
on Monday and Wednesday nights--
even if I'm tired,
have a headache,
a body ache
or whatever...

Because
Because
Because

It is so stinking FUN!
I'm slowly learning the steps,
and yeah,
I have to take water breaks
and modify some of the steps
cuz I'm lame like that,
but
I feel so much better since I started!!!

All of the girls have gone with me too--
Dani
Nana
Daisie
and even
the Caboose!
Such a kick watching the Caboose
move-it
move-it!!

It's been so good for Dani too--
the results are reflecting in the mirror
and that makes her feel great!
Nana and Daisie move their
bahooeys
like nobody's bizness--
and we all laugh while we do it!

So, are you Zumba-ing yet??
If not,
what are you waiting for???

I find myself moving to the beat
while I'm cleaning or cooking--
or even (gasp!)
grocery shopping--
I do that to embarrass the yahoos tho. shhhhh.


Seriously, it feels good to find my hips again,
and Zumba is fun, fast, and a little sensual too--
all that good stuff!

The Caboose thinks "it's cool"--
so there ya have it!

Grab a friend, a sister, a daughter and GO!
Whattaya Waitin' For??



This is the Zumba instructor, Elody (the one I referred to as "Zumba-on-crack"--you can tell she loves what she's doing.
My favorite instructor Wendy, is behind her on the R,in the pinkish colored shorts with blonde hair.
**Go to the bottom of the page to turn OFF the music player, so you can hear the video!

The Journey to the Temple--Keeping Your Word

In the midst of a heated discussion
with the fifteen year old,
I was feeling exasperated.
Just then,
the nineteen year old came home from work.

I called to her to come upstairs to the loft--
to save me from spontaneously combusting
all over her sibling,
who'd just stomped downstairs
without a resolution.


I relayed the situation
from my point of view,
and just about that time,
the fifteen year old stompin', steamer
came upstairs.

With a forced-calm voice,
I challenged her,
"Tell her what's going on here
from your point of view. I won't say a word."

The fifteen year old, with her hands on her hips,
bristled at my challenge,
lips pursed so tight,
as though she is reining in a team of wild horses
with her tongue--
she opened her mouth to let loose the reins,
and then

nothing.

The horses were stalled--
she couldn't put a spin on the situation
that would cast an innocent light on her side.

My nineteen year old,
as I've said before,
has taken up residence in Wonka Land--
unpredictable,
indecisive--
has had a different countenance since the weekend.

Last week,
I would've never asked for her counsel
in this situation with the fifteen year old,
because she wasn't in a place where
she could've offered much of anything.
It might be compared to asking
someone who is lost on a path,
which way to go.

She and I had a heart-to-heart on Friday,
and since then,
I saw her regain her focus.
Seeing that change in her,
I knew she was exactly the person
to bring into this situation.

She began with relating her own feelings,
about being a fifteen year old,
and the struggles she too faced--
what helped and what did not help.
Then she could convey the way only
one sibling to another could convey--
"why Mom is upset with you.":

"Mom loves you. She wants to have a relationship with you now,
when your problems are little, so that when you are older and your problems
are bigger, you can go to her for help.  But you have to be honest. David Scott told me
I have to be transparent with Mom to keep her trust--cuz when you mess up--and you will,
she can still be there for you.
And you have to keep your word.  If you say you're gonna do something, you gotta do it.
Otherwise, she's never gonna believe you about anything."
She continued: "You need to be reading your scriptures every day, twice a day,
and saying your morning and bedtime prayers. That's the only way you're going to be happy.
You need that protection from Satan, who likes to get into our backpockets n' mess with us.
I know it sounds cliche, and all that, but it's the truth. It's the only way."

She continues to teach her sister in such a way that I am speechless.
 I'm listening to this nineteen oracle with awe.
She gets it. 
She has the Spirit with her so strong,
I say outloud,
"Do you feel that? That's the Holy Ghost.
Here's the deal, Sis.  Learning to keep your word is important.  Not just to me
or to other people, but when you go to the Temple, you're going to make promises
there, between you and Heavenly Father.
Important promises.  Eternal covenants.
You have to be able to give your word and keep it, before you're ready to make those covenants in the
Temple.
Does that make sense?
Can you see why I'm concerned when you blow me off or act like you
have forgotten to do what you said you would?
Because how well you keep your word says alot about
your maturity and integrity."

When all was said and done,
well were calm.
"I love yous" shared...
another level reached today.

Something one daughter said about a situation from last week,
stuck in my heart--
"I knew [she] was mad at me because I wasn't living up to her expectations.
But when she stopped being mad at me,
and showed she loved me,
then I knew I could trust her again and try to be better.
We can change when we know people love us."

Another day in Momza's house--
the road to an eternal family is long
and demanding.
It can be exhausting to keep the channels of communication open,
when you'd rather just shut down,
plop into bed and cover your head
waiting for the kids to grow up and learn their lessons,
but this is the thing:

It's not wasted efforts.
Those tears are not wasted.
The prayers are not in vain.
The three hour talks at the dinner table
or
the long talks in the wee hours of the night
are worth what they cost.
It's my family I'm pouring my heart into--
there's nothing nothing nothing
more important than them.
Us.
Lessons come daily--
by example,
by discipline,
by love --repeated over and over again, even when they least deserve it,
or when I least deserve it too--
by service,
by spending time...much much time
with these people I call
My Family.

The Mountains Are Calling...

"The Mountains are calling and I must go."

~John Muir

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings,

Nature's peace will flow unto you 

as sunshine flows unto trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness 

unto you,

And the storms their energy;

While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

In every walk with nature 

one receives far more than he seeks. 

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, 

places to play in and pray in, 

where nature may heal 

and give strength to body and soul. 

 "I never saw a discontented tree.  

They grip the ground as though they liked it, 

and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do."

                                               ~J. Muir

"Above all else, children need to know and feel they are loved, wanted, and appreciated. They need to be assured of that often. 

Obviously, this is a role parents should fill, 

and most often the mother can do it best."  ~E.T. Benson

 "Families unite when they do meaningful things together. ..."Some may say, 'But we have no time for that.' As for time to do what is truly worthwhile, I suggest that many parents will find that they can turn their family on if they will turn their television off. . . .

 Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home."  ~D.O. McKay

"Life is to be enjoyed, not endured" 

— Gordon B. Hinckley

"The only things you will take with you, when all is said and done, are your family relationships. . . . God bless us to be good fathers, . . . good parents, and good husbands to our good wives."

"If we are worried about the future, then we must look today at the upbringing of children." 

— G. B. Hinckley

There are only two ways to live your life. 

One is as though nothing is a miracle. 

The other is as though everything is a miracle.   

- Albert Einstein

Colorado Springs Farmer's Market--Memorial Park

Farmer's Markets are abundant here in the Springs.

The yahoos piled into the Suburban

and we headed out the for the day

to Memorial Park:

 Homegrown Tomatoes and Cherries...

my mouth is watering just lookin at 'em.

 Snap peas and red potatoes...mmmmmmmm

Ahhhh 
radishes and zucchini...double yummm.

Fresh jams and preserves--

I learned how to make Strawberry freezer jam last year,

and it is my guilty pleasure this year--

a big ol spoonful on some wholegrain bread

cures my sweet tooth cravings.

Dani bought a 
huge foccacia bread 
to share...she didn't really take a bite,
you knew that, right?


We sat in the grass

broke bread

and 

savored the deliciousness 

in the shade.

The baker is Austrian...oh yeah, totally yumminess.

Fresh jalapeno peppers

Of course, this is the perfect place
for a picnic...
a park with a lake
and the beautiful Rockies
in the background.
Have I ever told you
how much I love Colorado?

Baby G's first summer...
he's soakin' it up!

p.s. found my camera, can ya tell?