Fifteen Things

Last year when G turned 14, I spent some time pouring my heart into a blog post for her. I didn't think I had it in me to write a new one this year. My depth of feeling for her hasn't changed...so it just felt like it would be a repetition of all the stuff I already said.

Then my good friend Jenn* posted this about her own 15 year old, Spencer. And I had my inspiration. So, here are 15 things you should know about Genevieve.

1. She is thoughtful. Genevieve is always quick to jump in and help. When she hears me in the kitchen making dinner or cleaning up, she is right there to help. When I go to work and she is home with a snow day, she does little things to help out around the house...cleaning the bathroom, doing some laundry.

2. She is caring and generous. When one of her best friends was in a car accident, she wanted to be at the hospital all the time. She took magazines for her friend to read, new headbands to keep her feeling fresh, and her favorite photo album of all their friends on their East Coast trip.

3. She has a fabulous way with words. Whether in writing or speaking, G's intelligence shines through. She loves to write: stories, songs. She began her writing career when she was just little, creating menus and 'taking orders' from her dad and me.

4. She is sarcastic and punny. Genevieve says something that makes me laugh every day. Her sense of humor is dry, witty, and sharp. She has always been able to keep up with Jeff's and my  "playful banter" and it didn't take long for her to join right in. She can find pretty funny stuff on the internet too....Jenna Marbles...

5. She is passionate. When G finds something interesting, she grabs on and doesn't let go...sometimes to the point of almost obsession: Law and Order SVU, Lady Gaga, writing music, reading realistic fiction, playing volleyball. She gives 100% to the things she loves.

6. She is comically uncoordinated. Although she is a pretty good volleyball player, she cannot cut paper. She cannot walk in high heels. She looks hilarious trying to dance. And she knows it and can laugh at herself.

7. She has a natural confidence. Genevieve knows who she is and doesn't waste time trying to fit in or to be something she is not. And she has little patience for others who are fake or intolerant.

8. She is logical and level-headed. I love that Genevieve can see the stupidity in a lot of things. She will refuse to do things just because society (or school) says she should. She wants a good reason and she'll be civilly disobedient if not given that reason. She doesn't get involved in the regular teen girl drama either.

9. She has a way with little kids. Even though she's lately taken to saying that she isn't having kids, she is so fun to watch around them. She's patient and calm and kind. And she loves them, so it is joyful just to watch her be with them.

10. She has an awesome sense of style. Though I miss her insistence on wearing dresses every day like she did when she was little, she does know how to put together an outfit.

11. She sings REALLY loudly in the shower. Like so loudly that we can hear her clearly across the house.

12. She has a strong sense of family. The pictures all over her bookshelves in her room show it. She was lucky to know her great grandparents and she knows how lucky she was.

13. She is responsible. I could let her go out and play by herself when she was little. She was like a little mother to Lili when Lili was a baby. And I've never been worried to leave her in charge at home when Jeff and I go out...even for a weekend last summer.

14. She is introverted. This is a change from when she was younger. She used to want to be the center of attention. She wanted to be at a different friend's house every weekend. Now she seems content to be at home. Sometimes I worry she's losing the fearlessness that used to mark her personality. I hope it is a natural part of making her way through her teen years and that she regains some of that courage when she emerges into adulthood.

15. She is intelligent. Genevieve cares about and knows what is happening in the world. She can hold intelligent conversations with adults. She is going to be a successful woman and I am thoroughly enjoying watching her transformation.

*I met Jenn and 13 other moms online in an AOL forum when G was a couple months old. We all had babies born in February of 1997. So not only is G 15, but so is my friendship with these other fantastic moms. :)

Traditions...New and Old

I love Christmas. And I am a stickler for traditions. As a kid, Christmas Eve was always spent at my grandparents' house. We always had pork sandwiches (we call them porkies) and macaroni and cheese. The house was full of people and the proliferation of presents was amazing.

As we grandkids got older and started our own families, we didn't always do Christmas Eve at Nana's, but there was always a celebration at her house some time before Christmas...whenever we could all get together. Christmas Eve 2010 was the last time for the tradition of Nana's house. It turned out that it was a blessing that my family, my parents, my sister's family, and my brother's family could all be together one more time. It was a special day, but we didn't know how special until the next day.

Christmas 2010 was the worst Christmas ever. First my sweet G woke in the night sicker than she had been in a long time. The poor thing was puking every hour and then after a couple of hours, it was my turn. I called my dad to come and pick up the other two girls (Lili and Gab) for Christmas dinner at mom and dad's house (another tradition.) An hour later, he called back to say that mom wouldn't be cooking dinner. Nana, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma for quite some time, was rapidly declining. Mom was staying by her side.

Nana passed away later than evening. It was a terrible Christmas.

This year I decided to take over for Nana. Christmas Eve is going to be at my house. I have a pork roast in the oven for the porkies. Genevieve made Nana's Chex Mix...she used to make gallons of it and everyone got to take home a huge bag full. Mom is bringing my brother's favorite corn beef dip. And G made pumpkin pies all by herself.

And the Noel/Leon train is all ready for my brother. :)

So we carry on old traditions in a new way and we will be thinking about the precious people in our lives who began these traditions that we are lucky enough to carry on.

A Christmas List...with commentary

I LOVE my Pill. Seriously, if you need an illustration of how awesome she is, just check out this Christmas list she gave me yesterday. Comments in italics are mine. :)

1. Leg warmers
2. Arm warmers
apparently she gets cold
3. playdough dentist umm, no
4. mind flex she's seen the Try-It-Before-You-Buy-It that shows this is worthless but I guess she thinks her mind is more powerful than most people's
5. stompies I don't even know what that is
6. socks
7. new room in a new house? an addition?
8. cloths or maybe clothes?
9. ripped leggings
10. white sparkally heels those must be even fancier than sparkly heels!
11. red sparkally heels
12. flats
13. leggings good to know I don't only have to look for ripped ones!
14. Gaga stuff
15. laptop
16. new phone
17. shoes/heels in case I didn't know what sparkally heels and flats are, I guess
18. shirts
19. Wii games
20. xbox kennict hmm, I'm not sure I'll be able to find a kennict!
21. ripped shirts
22. kitten
23. bunny
24. bags
25. money
26. bows
27. playdough icecream what is with the playdough? She knows I hate playdough.
28. shorts
29. make up even though I took away all her make up about a month ago!
30. nail polish
31. jackets
32. posters hmm, any old poster? She hates Justin Bieber, I should get her a poster of him! 
33. jeans which she will never wear because she only wants to wear ripped leggings and tutus. I can't believe there are no tutus on her list!
34. crowns
35. puppy because the kitten and bunny aren't enough AND we don't already have 5 dogs!!
36. this one is my favorite: go to wesco that's right, wesco the gas station. Doesn't every kid want a trip to the gas station? No? Only The Pill? Well, she did used to ask for a bag of cotton balls every year. At least she makes it easy for me!
37. movies trip
38. any other things
Yep, that's right she ends with "any other things." What a goofy kid!

The Pill in the orange skirt. She is one of a kind...although she is rubbing off on her friend!

Anyone could lose weight on 500 calories a day!

I have a good friend who just finished following the HCG diet. That's the one where you put some homeopathic drops under your tongue...I'm not sure it's really HCG. But she looks great and she swears the diet works. So, seeing that I was still skeptical, she let me borrow her book: The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau.

Let me just begin by saying, Kevin is not a good author. The only reason this book ever made the NYT Bestseller list is because so many people are so desperate to lose weight. And if you can lose weight on this diet, you can lose weight on ANY diet. It is unrealistic and full of lies. That alone made me so angry that I would not do any part of this diet that might cause money to enter Kevin Trudeau's bank account. He has such a thing for conspiracy theories, but if anybody is telling lies to make money, it is he.

From here on out, I am just going to share quotes from the book.
Page 7 "When you finish the protocol your metabolism is reset to the normal level...You will be able to eat any food you want."
Page 9 "Most importantly, when I finished losing all the fat, inches, and weight I wanted, I needed to be able to eat anything I wanted, any time I wanted, as much as I wanted, and never gain the weight back."
Page 19 "This does not mean you will be restricted to certain kinds of food. On the contrary, when you finish 'the weight loss cure protocol' you will be able to eat any food you want in any amount you want any time you want."
Page 29 The even better news is when you are finished with the protocol you will be able to eat any kind of food you want. You will be able to eat cheeseburgers, French fries, ice cream, cookies, cakes, breads, pasta, cheese, butter, cream, steak, pizza, Mexican food, mashed potatoes and gravy, virtually any kind of food you want."
Page 47 "To further prove that the treatment, in fact, cured the disorder, all patients must have the ability to eat normally any food he pleases in any amounts without regaining abnormal fat or weight after the treatment."

Compare those quotes with these:
Page 76 "Phase 4: This phase is for the rest of your life. It contains the simple easy to follow dos and don'ts that make sure..."
Page 105 "Phase 4 is for the rest of your life. This phase will consist of some basic and easy to follow dos and don'ts that will become your new, exciting habits."
Page 106 "The simplest rule to follow is to eat anything you want, as much as you want, as often as you want. The only caveat is only eat 100% organic food."

The "simple easy to follow dos and don'ts", the "new exciting habits" consist of a list that numbers 50 items! I'll just give you a taste (which is really about all you can eat on phase 4: the rest of your life!)
Page 106 "1. Eat only 100% organic food."
Page 107 "2. No "brand name" food. The rule here is not to eat food produced by publicly traded corporations. Remember, large publicly traded food companies are the enemy."
Page 107 "3. No fast food, regional or national chain restaurants."
Remember, this is THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
Page 107 "4. Do a Candida cleanse."  Umm easy? I don't even know what that is!

It goes on to list a colon cleanse, a liver cleanse, a parasite cleanse, a heavy metal cleanse...and on and on and on. The list is so ridiculous. But it's the dichotomy of his first chapters that claim you can eat whatever, whenever, as much as you want and then the chapter where he finally lays out the phases of the diet and it is clear that you will NEVER be able to eat whatever you want, as much as you want, blah, blah, blah. I hate when I get lied to. I hate people who don't think I am smart enough to figure out their game. Kevin Trudeau's game is to make money by writing about a diet that is so impossible very few people could ever follow it, and therefore, they can't blame him when it doesn't work.

Please, please, please be careful if you do this diet. I have serious concerns about the healthiness of some of the procedures he recommends. And at the height of the diet, you are only supposed to eat 500 calories a day. Anybody could use weight on 500 calories a day but it sure doesn't seem healthy to me.

Surprise!!??

A couple of months ago, The Pill said to me, "Mom, you're so lucky you have me." She is always coming up with off the wall things that leave me wondering.

So I replied, "Yes, I know that. Why do you say so?" And she proceeds to tell me that if I hadn't been pregnant for her when I turned 30, my mom would not have had the awesome 30th Surprise Birthday Party that she threw for me.

Then she said, "You told grandma you would have a party for her when she turned 50 and you didn't." Well, I honestly don't remember saying that, but I asked The Pill how old grandma would be this year (yea, I know, pretty sad I have to ask, but she has a younger mind!) and she said sixty.

So I said, "Then I guess we better have a party for her this year!" My dad was on the same wave length and when I told him I was planning one, he told me he had been planning to ask me to do just that.

Well, today was the day. And I'd be lying if I said it was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! See, my mom is the quintessential party thrower. My mom is the best cook, she can bake like nobody's business, she decorates better than Martha Stewart, and she comes up with the best party favors and gifts. I've thrown parties before but ALWAYS with mom's help.  But I did have help this time too. My dad was great helping me pay for stuff. My sister brought all the paper products, the pop, and a big crock pot of macaroni and cheese. My aunt pitched in with a veggie tray and some broccoli salad--very last minute after I realized I had no veggies planned and I sent her a facebook message asking for her help! And my brother, who'd been planning to make sausage and sauerkraut, brought chips. :-D Which was great because the sausage and sauerkraut would have been TOO much food!

So, mom wasn't exactly surprised. As it turned out, my grandpa passed away a couple of weeks ago. When mom and dad were at his house to clean things out, my mom found grandpa's invitation to her party. Not knowing what it was, she looked inside, saw the words "surprise" and her name, and quickly closed the card back up. So, she didn't know exactly when, but she knew it was coming.  I think it was a good party. It wasn't everything she deserves in a party, but that would be impossible for me to do!

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

I used a Fall theme for decorating. Candles, confetti, harvest mix candy. My sister got the paper products in fall colors.

The cake was made at Leppinks, the local grocery store. Mom's name is stitched on because she's such a great seamstress. :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom's aunt and my sister.

More of mom's aunts and a cousin. And my nephew...isn't he a sweet thing?

Mom and dad's neighbors: they helped get mom to the party. And my Aunt and Uncle.

Mom's good friends.

Dad, Mom, and G. Mom had to enlist G's help to blow out all 60 candles. :)

I Write to Assert My Democratic Rights

Today is the National Day on Writing. In the past, I have celebrated this day with kids by writing 6 Word Memoirs. Today I didn't have anything special planned. Though I thought all day about why I write. I couldn't help but think about it; it's a hash tag (#whyIwrite) that has been popping up on twitter all day. (It should be trending, but it currently is not.)

Then I stopped at my mom's house to pick up The Pill. It's Thursday, so the tiny town newspaper was delivered today and I sat down to read it before I left for home. In it, I read an article that really had my hackles raised. I just had to write a letter to the editor regarding the article. This wasn't the first time I have written a letter to a newspaper, and that made me realize how very thankful I am that I CAN write to voice my opinion. And since the procedure for submitting letters to the editor of this paper are nowhere to be found, I am going to post my letter here. And so, because I have the right and responsibility to voice my opinions is #whyIwrite.

Editor,

Thank goodness we live in a democratic country. Thank goodness we have a say in who represents us in our government. Thank goodness that when we believe that our elected representatives are not listening to our voices, we have a procedure to follow to make our dissent known.

I am disgusted by some of the choices that my elected officials have made recently in the course of their work. I am fed up with the way certain groups of people have been targeted by the Governor and the Republican-led legislature. I have followed the channels allotted to me to voice my opinion: I have emailed and I have called the offices of Governor Snyder, Senator Emmons and Representative Outman on several different occasions. Only one time have I ever had my communication recognized. These people are supposed to be our voice in the government, but they don't seem to want to listen to everyone, rather only the people who are in agreement with them. 

Feeling as though I did not have representation, I took the next step to make my voice heard in the democratic process. I signed the petition to recall Governor Rick Snyder. I would sign a petition to recall Judy Emmons. I would sign a petition to recall Rick Outman. I completely disagree with Rick Outman as quoted in the October 19 edition of Lakeview Area News that “recall elections should be reserved for people who have committed a crime...” Recall elections should absolutely come about when enough citizens come together to call an elected official on the carpet. They need to be held accountable for being the voice of the people they represent.

As a citizen who has signed a recall petition, I also take issue with being characterized by Shirley Pool as being someone who does “not care about the financial ramifications to our county or state...” I am a tax paying citizen. If a recall election comes about, I share that cost. I am part of Ms. Pool's “we.” I would hazard a guess that most solicitors and most signers ARE taxpaying citizens and therefore also a part of Ms. Pool's "we." Ms. Pool may not agree that there should be a recall election, but she should be thankful that we live in a county, state, and nation that allows its citizens avenues to express displeasure when we feel our elected officials are not fulfilling their responsibilities. 

                                                  Sincerely,

                                                  L. Moore

I wish I could link to the original article for you, but it isn't online. You'll just have to find a copy of  Lakeview Area News for yourself.

I'm Really Not Ready

Lately I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed, emotional, and maybe even a tad depressed. Here's why:

Ready for the dance...

It is G's freshman year. She's going to be 15 years old. And I just don't have an inkling of how that happened. It just seems like yesterday that she was dancing around the house in her sweet little girl dresses, singing Oops I Did It Again, and pestering me to change the focus of the video camera to her and not The Pill: "Tape me now mom, tape me...is it my turned to be taped?"

I almost cry when I see the competent athlete she is on the volleyball court. I almost cried yesterday as I watched her ride on the freshman float rather than enjoy the Homecoming parade by my side. I almost cried at how beautiful she was as she was getting ready for her first Homecoming dance. And I remember how I used to wait so anxiously for the firsts: when would she say her first word? take her first step? read her first word?

Now I want the firsts to stop. I would go back to those baby, toddler, and little girl days in a heartbeat. Not because I don't absolutely adore the young woman she's becoming, but just because I am not ready for her to become her yet.