MamaBlogger365 - February Slips Away by Veronica Hosking

Here it is, the Monday morning before my scheduled blog post, and I have nothing written. It seems strange to have the February blues in sunny Arizona. Many people are looking forward to spring while my whole winter is spring-like. On February 2nd, do you think, six more weeks of winter? Or are you more optimistic and think, six more weeks 'til spring? This year I was happy to have all the paperwork I was busy filling out in January behind me. For most of this month I sat around reading books, cleaning house and helping with homework. There was little writing accomplished.

February 2nd not only marks Groundhog's day, it is also my mother's birthday. She turned 70 this month. I wrote her a letter and sent off the card at the end of January - no writing on the actual day. I told her Rachael has been accepted to AAEC. We have a very excited daughter, who is waiting on pins and needles for the actual confirmation letter. Then on February 14th, Valentine's Day, Shawn and I had our traditional dinner. We send the girls to their rooms early and have a quiet dinner for two. This year Shawn decided to go Greek. I think even he is feeling winter doldrums or his approaching midlife birthday, because he bought a lot of prepared foods he didn't have to cook.

As we were enjoying our souvlaki, olives, artichokes, cheese and wine, Shawn asked me what happened to his poetry. A few years ago he gave me a blank journal and added some borrowed poetry to it. Throughout the year, I added original pieces of poetry and gave it back to him the next Valentine's Day. This year the journal was in his possession. I asked him where my poetry was? And he pulled up his haiku app and composed a few haiku for me. "There's an app for that" really isn't romantic. How hard is it to count syllables? Hard - since I found out Shawn thought "Shawn" was two syllables.

February slips away. Three days after this blog posts, Shawn will celebrate his 40th birthday. For the past few years, he has been growing his hair. He keeps telling me it will fall out on its own soon enough and he wants to remember what it was like to have hair. Back over winter break, the girls and I went for haircuts. Now the only man in the house has longer hair than all the women. Years ago Shawn grew his hair long ewww... but one day he came to my house with a nice new haircut. I keep waiting for this day a second time. I really thought he would go before he had to get his new license photo, but no. If he is going to be bald, his license will make people do a double take. All is not lost though, I came up with a great dig for his birthday.

Forty is a fickle friend
Only trying to pretend
Ripe with hair
Turning bare
Youth has reached its bitter end

Veronica Hosking
http://hosking.gather.com

The Museum Of Motherhood is the first and only facility of its kind, celebrating the “her”story of mothers around the world. We need your help -- please make your tax-deductible contribution today!Visit the Museum of Motherhood, NOW OPEN in NYC - Tues.-Sun., 10:45-6:30.

Photo credit: seemann | MorgueFile

Mamablogger365 - New Beginnings by Mindy Stokes

The word family has seen a transformation in the past couple of decades. At one time, it meant only those biologically related to you. In this day and age, it’s been expanded to include those with whom we have shared values or choose to spend much time with. For me, family represents those people who have become near and dear—those who’ve found their way into my heart in profound and deeply meaningful ways. This list includes my mother, grandmother, aunties, uncles, cousins, brother and dear friends. My nuclear family, those with whom I wake up every day, and who bring me joy, are Katie my partner of 13 years, and Soleil our vivacious five year old daughter.

Unfortunately, the concept of family has been hijacked by certain individuals and organizations in our society who wish to define what “family” is. Far too often, these individuals and organizations claim they have the Good Book and God on their side and that He is the ultimate authority, thus rendering them experts on a particular issue. The issue I speak of is marriage equality.

These religious folks assert they must protect the “family” from special interests and only their definition of “family” qualifies for this protection. They broadcast that marriage equality will bring mayhem to the traditional institution of marriage between one man and one woman. And that if same-sex couples are granted the civil right of marrying, then our nation’s morality is at stake and finally our children will suffer. According to them, the welfare of these children is at the center of this argument.

They are erroneous for three reasons...

Click here to read more.

The Museum Of Motherhood is the first and only facility of its kind, celebrating the “her”story of mothers around the world. We need your help -- please make your tax-deductible contribution today!Visit the Museum of Motherhood, NOW OPEN in NYC - Tues.-Sun., 10:45-6:30.

Photo credit: anon | MorgueFile

MamaBlogger365 - 2012 Change is in the Air by Veronica Hosking

The girls had two full weeks off for winter break. They returned to school for the second half of the 2011/12 school year on the 9th. At the end of the week, both brought home their second quarter report cards. Gretchen got an A+ in math and B's in the other subjects. Rachael brought home the requirements for 8th graders to move up to 9th, and I told her, "You may have a hard time getting promoted when you keep bringing home straight A's." ;)

This year is full of change for our family. Next month my husband will be celebrating his 40th birthday. Then in May both girls will be promoted. Gretchen will finish 5th grade and be moving up to the middle school. Rachael will finish 8th grade and move up to high school. Mom was feeling a little left out of all these changes, nothing new was on my horizon. Then I found an opportunity to apply for a summer residency in poetry. Since the girls started back up at school, Mom has been busy writing her proposal and polishing her portfolio.

Now with my part of the application process complete, I am left waiting to see if I'll be going down to Tucson sometime over the summer. Of course, I'm not just sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I have a 40th birthday party to plan and then there is the celebration at the end of the school year to work out. As both girls do very well in school and moving up to a new school is exciting, we want to show the girls how proud we are of their hard work.

The beginning of a new year is filled with expectation. 2012 marks memorable life changes for my family. I hope they prove to be positive experiences we will cherish.

Veronica Hosking
http://hosking.gather.com

The Museum Of Motherhood is the first and only facility of its kind, celebrating the “her”story of mothers around the world. We need your help -- please make your tax-deductible contribution today!Visit the Museum of Motherhood, NOW OPEN in NYC - Tues.-Sun., 10:45-6:30.

Photo credit: xololounge | MorgueFile

MamaBlogger365 - Surviving Marriage: On the Way to an Old Married Couple by Veronica Hosking

"The Talk" hosted their first bookbuzz chat on The Secret Lives of Wives by Iris Krasnow earlier this month. I was sent a copy of the book to read and participate in the conversation on November 11^th.

As everyone knows if you have been following my blog posts, Shawn and I just celebrated our 15^th wedding anniversary. We are well on our way to this destination of old married couple. I found the stories Ms. Krasnow fleshed out in her book to be quite interesting. I started thinking about the journey my husband and I are on.

Click here to read more!

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our autumn POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

Visit the Museum of Motherhood
NOW OPEN in NYC! Tues-Sun, 10:45-6:30

MamaBlogger365 - The Enchantment is Over by Veronica Hosking

Hello, everyone. It’s another Monday morning, and I’m back to reality. Shawn and I had a wonderful trip to New Mexico, touring Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Ghost Ranch. Our getaway began in old town Albuquerque, and then it was off to the first winery – Casa Rondena. From there we drove up to Santa Fe on the look out for Seton Village.

Ernest Thompson Seton helped form the U.S. Boy Scouts, and he built a home near Santa Fe. Of course an Eagle Scout wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to visit Seton Castle. There was a gallery of Seton’s wildlife illustrations on the property as well. After that small detour, we were off to Taos to spend our anniversary at the beautiful Taos Inn.

We had a wonderful anniversary dinner at Doc Martin’s on October 12^th. Afterward, we enjoyed the musicians playing at the Adobe Bar: both the restaurant and bar are a part of the Inn. The next day we drove over to Ghost Ranch, stopping at the wineries along the way – Vivac Winery and Black Mesa Winery. At Ghost Ranch we went on the Georgia O’Keeffe landscape tour, seeing what inspired many of O’Keeffe’s paintings.


Waiting
with bated breath
to rekindle romance
off on a second honeymoon
Is it the land of enchantment?
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos
reservations confirmed
New Mexico
awaits…

The land definitely left me enchanted, but reality is calling. The girls started the second quarter of school today. Dirty dishes are waiting in my sink and the clean clothes won’t fold themselves. Mom’s vacation is officially over. It was nice while it lasted.

Veronica Hosking
http://hosking.gather.com

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our autumn POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

Visit the Museum of Motherhood
NOW OPEN in NYC!

MamaBlogger365 - United in Stubbornness by Loren Christie

When my husband and I were engaged people gave me a lot of advice.

In 1999, three days before my wedding, a friend helpfully warned me about the pitfalls of marriage in a hushed tone. We were sitting at table tucked in a dark corner at the Half Penny Pub in Bay Shore.

"You know those things about him you absolutely love, those little 'quirks?' After you're married you will hate those things," she whispered.

I cringed, listing my husband’s quirks in my head, and my own, for that matter, because they are frighteningly similar. The worst one is his stubbornness. We are exactly matched in this area. Sometimes this shared trait is a very powerful asset, IF we're on the same team, so to speak. However, if we are fighting, well, then it makes for a very ugly encounter. (I'm talking Star Wars battle-caliber face-offs over the most ridiculous things.) Usually, I win (because he is kinder than I and apologizes like a sorry puppy). Sometimes, I just give up out of pure exhaustion. Then there are days when I use his stubbornness against him to manipulate him into doing me a favor. Some people think that’s cruel. I respectfully disagree; it’s genius.

Click here to read more!

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our September POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.


Visit the Museum of Motherhood
NOW OPEN in NYC!

Photo credit: boom|MorgueFile

MamaBlogger365 - My Crystal Anniversary by Veronica Hosking

The traditional gift for a 15th wedding anniversary is crystal. In a little more than two weeks, my husband and I will be celebrating our crystal anniversary. We are going to tour North Central New Mexico - Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe. Maybe we'll even do some wine tasting out of crystal wine glasses.

As I keep trying to get my husband to write me original poetry, he is very good at borrowing the work of others. I wrote him a limerick for our anniversary last year:

There was a young lad named Shawn Hosking
Who gave a sweet lass a beautiful ring
His love was true
And both said, I do
Now his sweet lass governs the purse string

He realized just how much I watch the purse string as I booked the hotels in New Mexico. He wanted to stay at a nice bed & breakfast in Taos, and we are spending two nights there, including our actual anniversary, October 12th. The nights we are spending in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, I went with more reasonable motels. Shawn said, Hey we're only going to have a 15th wedding anniversary once. My reply: Yes and we still have to pay for gas, food and souvenirs.

At least one anniversary gift will be free. I decided to carry on the limerick tradition. Shawn didn't think the one I wrote last year was very suggestive. I think I did a little better this year:

There once was a woman being a pistol
Who wrapped herself, as a present coital
Fifteenth anniversary
Was becoming a quandary
Since she found no great gift in crystal

Veronica Hosking
http://hosking.gather.com

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our September POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

Visit the Museum of Motherhood, NOW OPEN in NYC!

MamaBlogger365 - Not Exactly Upper Crust by Loren Christie

Start out with nothing to do and a day off on Long Island and you may find yourself where you don’t belong. For my husband and I, that means we spent the day on a "date" in the Hamptons. What better place to do what we love to do best in public when the kids aren't with us: look around at people nearby and imagine what they are saying to one another? I thought we were the only ones on Earth who did this for laughs until I saw the movie Date Night.

Click here to read more!

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our September POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

MamaBlogger365 - "Sex in Mommyville" by Anna Fishbeyn

My journey with the show, Sex in Mommyville, began as a solo reading at Cornelia Street café, which I entitled Conversations with My Breasts. My audience primarily consisted of mothers - including women I met at my daughter’s preschool and nearby playgrounds, women from my graduate days at New School University and Columbia University, women who like me had become mothers and now faced enormous challenges. But it was the little essay entitled, "The Nuts and Bolts of Espionage" (i.e., "Sex in Mommyville") that truly resonated with my audience, sending them into uproarious fits of laughter: the simple story of one mother repeatedly attempting but failing to have sex with her husband during one weekend. Click here to read more...

"Sex in Mommyville" will be at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, 303 W. 42nd St., 3rd Fl (RSVP 646-329-6588, www.manhattanrep.com). July 27th at 9 p.m.; July 29th at 9 p.m.; and July 31st at 3 p.m.

Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our September POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

MamaBlogger365 - The Guilt Complex by Dorothy Sue Laqua

Two of our sons and I had a conversation about my divorce and remarriage to another man. When my first husband divorced me, I remarried within eight months to a neighbor man. I had four children and he accepted them all. The marriage was good for the first five years, but shortly before his mother died he became violent. It was almost overnight that I became the target of his obsession and the children became targets also. Within eight months after the first strike and pulled gun. I and the children left him and went into hiding for an entire year. Read more...

MamaBlogger365 needs you! Tell us how you're re-framing motherhood and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011!

Photo credit: Waiting by Kim Newberg

MamaBlogger365 - Remote Control Wars by Loren Christie

All mothering and no fun is, well, no fun. It's spring break at Mamazina contributor Loren Christie's house -- let's take a look:

My husband, an educator by trade, is home from work for spring recess and that means we’ll be renting a whole week of Redbox movies. Should I be excited? Yes. Am I? No.

Here's why: Guess who picks out the movies while I’m at work? Last night I had to endure Body of Lies. It's not that I don't like Leonardo DiCaprio films. I liked him in Gangs of New York, and I can't wait to see Inception. I thought he was great in Romeo and Juliet and Titanic. However, do I like watching him get his fingers smashed with a hammer by terrorists?

Picture me not finding that entertaining. After about five minutes of hearing the actor scream and covering my eyes... read more

MamaBlogger365 needs you! Tell us how you're re-framing motherhood and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011!

Photo credit: Tv Controller by Anna Cervova