AtwoodZoo

Prince Caspian is amazing

I got to take the girls to an advance screening of Prince Caspian tonight. The movie opens this weekend. It is simply amazing. More later.

Boomama is giving away some Show Offs Art

One of the reigning queens of the blogosphere, "Boomama" is giving away some Show Offs Art stuff.

Just run on over to her site and comment and you'll be entered to win.

Name double

I have a name double. And he has a blog.

He writes crazy computer stuff...I write children's books.

Definitely a ying/yang to the Jeff Atwood name. 

Do you have a "name double?"

Tuesday Haiku

Tuesday Haiku -Parent/child soccer games.

A ritual at the end of every soccer season is the parent/child game. Kind of like black-eyed peas on New Years Day, I'm not sure why it is a ritual...it just is.

Stretch, stretch, twist, stretch, stretch,

Run, shoot, pass, stumble, slip, GOOOAAALLL!

Can't get out of bed.

Life is short

My mom passed away in 1978. I was 14, and my sister 11. My mom was a great mom who got eaten up by cancer when she was way too young. And so this is the 30th Mothers Day that we did not get to share.

And while a thousand different thoughts rush though my head as I think back about how my mom would play Pong with us on the little TV in the kitchen. Or how she would sing amazing, beautiful harmonies with my grandpa and aunt. Or how she would let us eat popcorn and Pepsi for dinner on Sunday nights sometime. Mostly I am amazed at how young we were when she passed away. I guess I didn't think I was so young at the time. We packed alot of life into a few years.

But if my math is correct, my sister Jackie would have been ten coming up to eleven when we would out Mom was sick. And I see Kenzo, who is ten coming up to eleven, and I think she is too young for that kind of heartache. And that we, especially my sister, were too young for that kind of heartache.

And I wish that Kenzo and Mabel and Suzie could have met my mom cause they would have loved her.

But it was not to be.

So even my girls did not ever meet their biological grandmother, I can see her heart beating in their lives. I see it when Kenzo sings and it sounds like a chorus of angels. Or I see it when Mabel makes a "Mothers Day Buffet" breakfast menu consisting of every item in the pantry, just to serve her mother. Or I see it when Suzie rolls her head back and lets loose a torrent of giggles and laughs,

I also see my mothers heart when I see my sister love and care for her children. Even though the time we had with my mom was too short, there was enough love (and a genetic code of service and compassion) packed into those few years, it was more than enough for Jackie to become an amazing Mom.

And how I wish that my mom could see Kenzo play goalie, and taste Mabel's "fruit surprise" secret recipe, and learn from Suzie's sweet smile, but on this side of eternity that will not happen.   

Life is short. Things happen fast. Too fast sometimes. So be thankful for family. And make sure you plant memories deep inside of them so they can carry them on forever.    

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Beautiful Bride. You're the best.

Ethos at Hugh Hewitt

Great thoughts by the blogfather Randy Elrod over at Hugh Hewitt today.

Show Offs Art hits the (sort of) big time...

  The What on Earth catalog has picked up a couple of pieces from Show Offs Art.  They are featuring No Dinner Until You Eat Your Dessert now, and Everything Is Better With Icing On It will be in the catalog this summer.

"just so the telemarketer's can get a private lline..."

I've been working out of the house for the last several months. Lots of writing to do, much consulting, and this whole Show Offs Art thing that is taking off make it great to be at home.

Plus I get to do a lot of work sitting on the back porch.

The most amazing thing about being at home most days is the amount of telemarketing calls that we get. There must be a dozen a day. Clearly somewhere in this world there are a zillion people trapped in caves making phone calls 24/7.

Mark Lee had the perfect explanation of the whole phone solicitation thing:

"The way I figure it,I pay $35/month so telemarketers can have their own private line in our house.Those are the only calls we get! 3-4/day!"

Kindergarten....middle school

Two weeks til the end of 5th grade for Kenzo and Suzie, then off to the cruel, harsh world that is middle school.

Seems like just yesterday that Kenzo screamed, at the top of her little five-year-old lungs...

"Kindergarten is just an evil plot to keep me from spending time with my Mommy."

Ahh those were the days...