Category Archives: Inspiration

Cupcakes, Happiness, Humor, Inspiration, Joke, Uncategorized

Life is a Piece of Cake

October 1, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 2 Comments

Reposting here for anyone that didn’t get over to Cupcakes Take The Cake to see it (and because I haven’t had time to write anything new!)

People. Cake.

People like cake.

People are like cake!

Building a friendship is a lot like baking a cake. The most important thing to remember is to take your time because a small mistake along the way can have a large impact. When baking, each step in the process of turning individual ingredients into a baked treat is crucial and rushing through one can destroy the finished product. The same is true for a friend…

Completely cream the butter and sugar to keep get rid of any grittiness. You want your friendship to be as smooth as possible.

Don’t over-beat the eggs. No one wants to end up with a dense friend.

Sift the flour and add slowly or you will have a bumpy ride.

Properly grease the pan or you will end up in a sticky situation.

Don’t set the oven too high or the friendship will end up a little burnt around the edges.

Don’t set the oven too low or you will have a friend who is half-baked.

When things get heated, take the time to let things cool off or everything will just crumble apart.

Perfecting the batter of your relationship will provide a good foundation for a sweet, lasting friendship. And having a truly good friend in life is the icing on the cake.

Use your imagination for a moment and visualize the people you encounter on a daily basis as cupcakes. The different “flavors” you meet are countless!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Caramel Filling seem plain and boring at first glance, but once you get to know them you find they are filled with sweetness.
Chocolate Ganache Cupcakesget attention because they are rich and decadent, but you get your fill of them very quickly and don’t want to see another one for a while.
Photo credit: www.wilton.com
Devil’s Food Cupcakes, the troublemaker that you just can’t stay away from. You know they are bad for you, but you just can’t help yourself.
Turtle Cupcakes are a little nutty, but basically close to perfection.
Red Velvet Cupcakes appear very regal, but upon closer examination are actually ordinary but try to make themselves look like something special by adding something artificial.
Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes are the life of the party, but at the end of the night can leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Maple Bacon Cupcakes initially seem odd but end up being refreshingly original.
Savory Corn Cupcakes don’t sugar-coat anything.
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes have a bitter outlook when at the bottom but lighten up when they are on top.
Blueberry Cupcakes are your loyal, true blue friends.
Cupcakes with Fancy Decorations create an instant attraction to their beauty but you find out they have no substance and can be dry and stale.
Don’t get me started on Muffins. They are just so fake.

You can actually turn your friends into cupcakes with edible photo toppers!

Wouldn’t it be fun to select a cupcake flavor that best describes each of your friends and put their photo on top? You could throw a party where each friend would see what you think of them by the flavor you picked…well, maybe that wouldn’t be a good thing after all!!

If YOUR friends were cupcakes, what kind would they be???

Happiness, Humor, Inspiration, Joke, Life, postaday, Uncategorized

There’s Waldo?

September 22, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 2 Comments

I was feeling pretty spiffy (yes, I really said spiffy) in my new shirt from Loft…until I caught a glimpse of my reflection and thought “THERE’S Waldo!!” Hmmm, maybe that’s the reason the shirt was on sale at the outlet mall. (The photo is supposed to be my ‘YIKES, I look like Waldo face. But it looks more like a “YIKES, I’m turning into a fish face. I should have consulted a teenage girl for pointers on taking self-photos with my cell phone.)

Then I got to thinking what it would be like to be Waldo. To be right there in the middle of it all, but invisible at the same time. It might be fun to just be able to observe everything around you. To see what goes on when no one thinks you are there. To find solitude among the masses. To hide from the world for a while.

I think it would get lonely very quickly though and soon I’d be begging for someone to find me. “Hey! I’m over here!!! No, no, not there. That’s a red, white and blue beach ball. I’m over here, waving frantically. No, not there either. That is an American Flag waving.”

You’d never think someone like Waldo would be hard to find. Red and white striped shirt and hat with bright blue pants should easily be found an instant. But if everything around you is the same, it all blends in. It doesn’t stand out. It is overlooked.

Some days you want to be unique. Different. Noticed.

Other days you want to hide in plain sight. Like Waldo.

Now I will think of Waldo every time I wear that shirt. But maybe it will make me pause and ponder, “Do I want to be lost or found today???”

9/11, Inspiration, Latest News, National, News

9/11: Words of Comfort from an Unexpected Place

September 11, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 4 Comments

HUG YOUR CHILDREN SPEND THE DAY WITH FAMILY

September 11 Memorial — Photo credit to www.behance.net

CALL AN OLD FRIEND

PLANT A TREE IN TRIBUTE

LIGHT A CANDLE

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME

TAKE A MOMENT FOR YOURSELF BE THERE FOR SOMEONE ELSE

WATCH THE SUNSET LOOK FORWARD TO THE SUNRISE

Today, in your own way, remember and reflect, September 11, 2001.

Beautiful words from a Macy’s newspaper ad in New York. All major retail stores in New York printed lovely tributes today.

What will YOU do today in remembrance of 9/11/01?

Happiness, Humor, Inspiration, Joke, Life, Parent, Parenting

Boy Logic

September 8, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 2 Comments

Greg: Mooommm, Eric kicked me in the face!!!

Eric: No, I kicked you in the arm!!

Greg: Yeah, but that made my hand hit my face.

Eric: So….basically you punched yourself!

Health, Illness, Inspiration, Life, Lupus, Lyme, News, Uncategorized

My Sick and Tired List

September 7, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 22 Comments

I am sick. A lot. I hide it. Well.

I try not to complain. I really do try. I tell myself that others have worse problems. I’m fortunate in many ways. But that doesn’t mean my problems aren’t important. So, for today, I’m giving myself permission to complain. A lot. I’m not hiding it. Not well.

I have a body full of bacteria and a weak immune system. I have lyme, and have also tested positive for all of the major co-infections that ticks carry. Lucky me got bitten by a tick with super powers. Oh, did I mention I also have lupus? And blood clotting issues that makes my blood the ideal environment for bacteria to thrive? When I get sick, I really do it right.

A recent illness required a trip to the ER. While lying around, I made a sick and tired list. It was therapeutic.

I’m sick and tired of hearing “but you don’t look sick.”
I want to not FEEL sick.

I’m sick and tired of feeling weak for not being able to get rid of problems caused by a bite by something the size of a pin head.
I want to feel strong for being able to get out of bed at all while my body is fighting so hard.

I’m sick and tired of feeling like a guinea pig when a new treatment option comes out.
I want off this hamster wheel.

I’m sick and tired of being told that I always have a smile on my face and handle it so well. Don’t ask my family how I really handle it. They see me at my worst.
I want to truly always have a smile on my face.

I’m sick and tired of having liver damage caused by the bacteria.
I want any damage to my liver to be caused by too much expensive wine.

I’m sick and tired of brain fog making me forgetful. Wait, what was I going to say next?? Oh, now I remember…
I want the only cloudiness I deal with to be weather related.

I’m sick and tired of the random ups and downs of symptoms that come and go.
I want to ride a roller coaster, not live one.

I’m sick and tired of going to the lab for blood tests. And being told how bad my veins are as they poke me repeatedly to find a good one.
I want to only be poked on Facebook. And even that can be annoying.

I’m sick and tired of getting burned from forgetting sunscreen during a car ride while on medication that makes me sun sensitive.
I want to get burned from having so much fun at the pool that I lost track of time and spent the entire day there.

I’m sick and tired of telling my kids to see what is in the freezer because I’m too tired to cook.
I want to have freshly baked cookies ready every day after school. …Yeah, that probably wouldn’t happen regardless.

I’m sick and tired of taking horrible tasting pills by the handful.
I want handfuls of M&Ms. They melt in your mouth.

I’m sick and tired of spending so many hours in bed.
I want a Tempurpedic. But I digress. I want to only need my bed at night.

I’m sick and tired of my kids searching for socks that match because I haven’t done laundry.
I want a laundry fairy. But, again, I digress.

I’m sick and tired of a new treatment making me feel better temporarily. Without warning the improvement ends. It always ends.
I want the end to be happily-ever-after.

I’m sick and tired of counting spoons.
I want a giant ladle.

I’m sick and tired of cancelling plans with friends. Or hesitating to make plans in the first place to avoid having to explain why I am cancelling.
I want to be a good friend.

I’m sick and tired of being a source of information for friends concerned about having lyme. I enjoy helping; I don’t enjoy why I am knowledgeable.
I want to have never heard of lyme. Just the green fruit.

I’m sick and tired of doctors telling me I have a high tolerance for pain. That doesn’t make living with it any better.
I want to be a wimp and cry over a stubbed toe because that is the worst pain I have ever felt.

I’m sick and tired of trying to cram in everything fun on days when I am feeling well. I should have learned by now that doing too much at once ultimately makes me sick again.
I want to have fun every day.

I’m sick and tired of having an illness that I don’t want to discuss because it is so misunderstood and affects everyone so differently. If I hadn’t personally experienced it, I wouldn’t believe some of it either.
I want it to make sense.

I’m sick and tired of well meaning people telling me of a friend who tried “X” or a cousin who took “Y” and are perfectly healthy now. I have tried “X” and “Y” and also A-W.
I want to find “Z.” I know that will cure me. It is out there. Somewhere.

I’m sick and tired of doctors telling me I am a medical mystery.
I want to be solved.

I’m sick and tired of calling it lyme disease. Disease sounds too permanent.
I want it gone.

I’m sick and tired of being sick. And tired.
I want health.

DPChallenge, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, Uncategorized

Priceless Paper

September 7, 2012 momopolize@gmail.com 57 Comments

From a distance, the yellowed, typewriter written, tattered papers appear to be nothing impressive . But the information contained on those papers is what makes them amongst my most cherished possessions. It is the only window I have into an unknown part of my life. The only knowledge about my biological past. My adoption papers.

The sketchy information does not even come close to telling the entire picture about the beginning of my life, but it’s enough for me to read between the lines to create a story in my mind. Enough to take the blank slate and provide some understanding of the circumstances surrounding my birth and what makes me the person I am.

The first page of the paperwork contains details about my biological parents. The brief description – only a few lines total – is the most valuable information to me. I can peruse the traits and see glimpses of myself in the presentment, especially in the features and personality of my biological father. “Green eyes, dark brown naturally curly hair, dark complexion” could readily describe me. I like to think I also am somewhat “outgoing, happy-go-lucky and have a good sense of humor” which is how my biological father’s personality is portrayed.

My biological mother is also described as having brown hair but with brown eyes, and no curls. From reading her description, however, I know where I got my left-handedness. Drawing is listed as an interest. Perhaps that is where my son, Jake, got his love of art. Her personality is depicted as “moody, quiet and lazy.” I choose to envision that she was understandably moody because of the turmoil she was feeling over giving me up for adoption. She was uncharacteristically quiet. Pensive, wistfully wondering what “could have been” under different circumstances. She was not lazy, just weary. Fatigued and distressed about the toll pregnancy was taking on her body – and soul – for a baby she was not going to raise.

“Completed high school” is listed as the education for both, with the addition of “anticipates furthering her education” for my biological mother. From this, I deduced that the pregnancy occurred during their senior year of high school and I was born the October after they graduated. In another area of the paperwork, it states that pre-natal care began in mid-June. I concluded that the pregnancy was concealed from her classmates, and most likely her parents, until after graduation to reduce the embarrassment of her predicament. I wonder if either did go on to attend college after the adoption.

Some of the other tidbits of information tend to cause more questions than answers. The papers state that I wasn’t given baby formula for the first time until three days after birth. What happened during those first days of my life? Was I still with my biological mother during that time? What other explanation could there be for the delay in receiving formula? My adoption wasn’t finalized until the end of January, more than three months after I was born. I believe I was in a foster home during this time. Was I living at a private residence or a group home? Who were the kind people who took care of me? What were they like?

Most of the remaining information is mundane medical records and daily routines. But to me it is precious. I don’t have anyone with whom to discuss those first three months. No one to tell me how often I ate, how I reacted to bath time, that I made a “coo” sound when I laughed. These type-written words are all I have.

Will I meet my biological mother and father one day? Perhaps. There are so many questions that these papers can never answer. Maybe one day I will try to fill in the gaps left by the words that are not written. But for now, when I feel overwhelmed by all the unknown, I will pull out the worn, aged papers and look for a clue I may have previously missed. A clue to my biological past. A clue to my adoption story.

______________________________________________

You may have noticed I only reference the parents who created me as my biological mother and father. Not Mother and Father. Not Mom and Dad. I will always be grateful to the people described on those pages for making the difficult decision to give me to someone who could provide a better life for me. But my adoptive parents were, and always will be my Mom and Dad.