Linked here below is Simon and I's newest song: Dream A Little Dream Of Me  (featuruing Joey wanting his Mama's ATTENTION you've been singing ENOUGH!) It's been since before Joey was born that we actually recorded a full song together, but when I hear what we can do all I can think of is the cheesy line: "you and I (could) make beautiful music together".  Could! The operative word. Can. Do.  Could! The summer after Joey was born we got all signed up to do a whole bunch of songs at a music in the park event. We had quite a great list, and we got about half of them down and then pulled out a few months in advance. Sorry! I guess we bit off more than we could chew. Or we just couldn't get out sh** together? Three kids and a newborn and jobs and all that. I mean, it was possible. But just cause something's possible doesn't mean it will happen.  I can think of lots of things that are possible ! My dream, that I didn't even realize I had until I met

Tomorrow Hosea turns 10! As I read to him tonight, from the Series of Unfortunate Events, Simon came in the room with the video camera. "It's your last night of single digits, how do you feel?"  How do I feel? How could I even get back into the book after that with all the tears coming? Hosea knew, not even hearing the snifffles, by the way Simon responded to me. "Is Mama crying?"..."Yeah, you're getting bigger! But you still like to be read to!" Yes. He stayed in my bed the longest (Joey, do you hear that? Don't get any ideas!), and now he's being read to the longest. The girls sometimes hassle him about this, and I sometimes sigh at the end of a long day that I have to read to him still / again / can't you just read to yourself ? But..."He finds your voice comforting," Simon tells me. He knows the drill.  Also, this won't last forever.  Just like the fits.  A little or a large piece of each of us, though, does last for

For your safety, please hold on These streets are paved with do no harm Hollow eyes, sunken cheeks Tis a wonder how the politicians sleep For your safety, please hold on And don't dare look up from your phone Ride on by, just as you step Lest sight of twisted bodies you regret For your safety, please hold on That harm reduction, it has won Won for whom? Well, no one knows But that's just how It goes Veiled compassion sold in wolves clothes

When 2023 ended I was filled with regrets. I guess that's how it goes? One regret was that I hadn't written as much as I would've liked. I have post ideas often, but not the time or energy to do them. Just today I was out, taking a little breather on my own to run some errands. I got into that flow state, in my mind by myself, thinking about things and feeling motivated. I was thinking about that thing of not having written much last year, and then I decided hey why not write Once A Month. Whether you have something or not...well, you make something! Isn't that what it is? The more you do it, the more you do it. And I have to start somewhere. That blissful flow state of a walk by myself was immediately interrupted as soon as I opened my door. Some kind of issue with the soon to be 10 year old! (Oh that boy!) And mentally, my dreams were dashed. But then, with the three gone later, and Joey in bed early cause he had no nap...Simon took on our late dinner and told me to

With all her foibles I can cope 'Cept when she leaves hair on the soap by Simon (for me) So, we have designated bars of soap in the shower. Although lately with the cost of everything it's cheaper to just buy one big thing of Ivory. That gets confusing.  Maybe the hair helps, though. Yesterday was Simon and I's 5 year anniversary! Not of marriage, or "going out" or whatever else. But of literally (oh gosh I have teenagers in my home)  MEETING.  So we listened to the infamous recording of that fateful moment. Cause we actually have it! Cringe!!! (yes I do have teenagers in my home) Cringey! Cringe-o-rama! Cringe-fest! I mean, he was cringed out by himself, barely able to listen to the recording. Halfway leaving the room like oh gosh I can't believe I said that. (Hello! I'm HERE !!!) I didn't expect to be cringed out by myself (what does that say about me?!)...but oh gosh I was. "I have a YouTube channel," I'd told him, about 30 seconds in

Of course, there are a lot of things to gripe about in life. A lot of things wrong with the world. That's just the way it is. I don't dwell in the yuck for too long, because I know there is beauty everywhere. And I know I'm not the only one who suffers. And I know that injustice and hypocricy are endemic tales as old as time. Just, let's clear the air on that before we go any farther. Cause lately I've been thinking about, you guessed it: the enslavement of the masses!  Ok not the worst kind of slavery, but a very slippery, insiduous, manipulative type that we sometimes don't see.  Anyone out there have student loans? Anyone? I've shared some student loan sagas here before.  Oh First World Problem that it is! Sometimes it's minimized just so. But it can sure hold a person down. Maybe that person still has enough to eat, most of the creature comforts taken care of. But that loan just won't go away! EVER! There are programs that might forgive it. Progr