TGIFs: #6

Thank Goodness it is Friday, because Hubby is home for two full days! Since the birth of our baby on June 1st I've had the strongest homesick feeling for my husband, because he was only allowed three days off for paternity leave. I know how hard it is to be at work all day and away from us, so when Friday rolls around I'm extra grateful!

And on to this week's TGIFs... Nouns! Sit back and enjoy a cup of tea, I've decided to use all the prompts today!

Mr. Linky is still out sick, so please share your blog URL in the comments so we can all see what you have to say!

Thank Goodness IFs:

(1) If I could have been a fly on a wall this week... I would have stilled my beating wings in my husband's office to hear and see his reaction when he found out he got promoted to Commander! My husband came home last night with the Commander shoulder boards given to him by his boss as a gift and there were tears in my hubby's eyes from the joy he felt. I love how big my husband's heart is and how he feels so much emotion for every thing he does in his life. To have witnessed the moment when he heard the news would have been an amazing site to see so much emotion reflected in my husband's face, but seeing it there in his eyes last night when he told me was wonderful, too.

(2) If I had to revisit my least favorite childhood place... I would go back to the scene of a reoccurring nightmare that I had for over a year. The scene involved me trapped in an old factory at night with a monster/bad man chasing me up and down the hallways, until I became trapped in a bathroom stall listening to him breathing as he came in. It took me so long to stop having this nightmare, but it was my least favorite childhood place and one that I could revisit now and conquer my fears surrounding it.

(3) If I was asked to nominate a blogger for an award, the award would be for... I read so many amazing blogs daily, blogs that inspire me, bring me to tears or laughter, and make me want to live life to the fullest. There are a handful of great blog awards moving around the blogosphere right now, so I'm not sure if this award already exists, but if I had to nominate a blogger for an award the award would be "An Inspiration to Live Life to the Fullest." The blogs that would receive this award are the ones that make me get up out of my chair, round up my family, and enjoy spending moments together. These blogs are the ones that make me realize the beauty and amazing quality of little moments in our day-to-day lives.

(4) If I could travel anywhere in the world to get one item... I would travel back to my casita in the rainforest to pick a wild passionfruit growing in the forest surrounding my old hut. I miss my hut and the surrounding vegetation that I dined on every day: wild strawberries, passionfruit, sour oranges, guavas, bananas, plantains, cuadrados, and many more that I don't know the common names for in English.

(5) If I could interview one famous person... I would choose Barack Obama. I've never met him, but after reading his books and listening to him speak I would love to have five minutes with him to talk with him. I don't think I'd ask him major heavy questions. Instead I'd like to keep it light and simple, so I could enjoy the moment. "Barack, would you like to grill out with my husband and I tonight?" "Do your girls prefer hot dogs or hamburgers?" "Should we open a bottle of red or white wine?" "Can my husband and I stop by the Oval Office to say hi some time?"

Thank Goodness IFs: #6 Preview

Tomorrow is Friday, the day to give yourself the freedom to imagine the "what if" of your week and write about it on your blog. Please be sure to enter your URL into Mister Linky on my blog tomorrow, so others can visit your blog!

If this is your first time participating, then please check out the introduction for this meme!If you are interested in sending me "If" statements of your own to be listed on a Friday meme, please email me one or more at zookbooknook (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'll list your blog URL with your "If" statement for a Friday meme!

I hope you enjoy letting your imagination spin over these Thank Goodness IFs! I am looking forward to reading your blogs with your responses tomorrow.

People, Places, Things, Oh My! Nouns are everywhere, concrete or ephemeral, big or small, past or present. How did nouns impact your week?

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I could have been a fly on a wall this week...
(2) If I had to revisit my least favorite childhood place...
(3) If I was asked to nominate a blogger for an award, the award would be for...
(4) If I could travel anywhere in the world to get one item...
(5) If I could interview one famous person...

TGIFs: #5

TGIFs!

I went with a few prompts this week...

(1) If I could have spent more time staring at my daughters this week, I wonder if my heart could withstand all of the love I soak up from them and generate for them. Since giving birth to my second daughter on June 1st, my heart has grown even bigger. I'm so blessed to have two healthy, beautiful daughters!

(2) If I ever needed the sweet sensation of chocolate on my tongue, it was... after another day full of learning how to balance a toddler on one hip and a newborn on the other. My older daughter cries and pulls on me in desperation when I nurse my newborn. My newborn cries from gas pains in her sleep, waking my toddler up from her nap too early. My toddler prefers to run around during meal times as I try to shovel the food into my mouth faster than the speed of light only to ask 5 minutes later "what did I just eat?"

(3) If Swine flu and other influenzas are spread by touch, then I most likely encountered a bug this week... from our dog since he's the only one getting "out" these days. I hope it won't take too long before we get a new routine established, so I can venture out of the house with two little ones. For now, however, it's just our dog that I put in the backyard who is getting out. Fortunately for him, and us, there are no pigs or chickens in the yard that could lead to a new viral strain of dog-pig-chicken.

Mr. Linky is still down, so please leave your blog URL in the comments if you want to participate in TGIFs!

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I could have spent more time staring at _____ this week...
(2) If I ever needed the sweet sensation of chocolate on my tongue, it was...
(3) If Swine flu and other influenzas are spread by touch, then I most likely encountered a bug this week...
(4) If a certain smell helps us to recall a certain memory, then...
(5) If I suddenly lost my ability to hear, then my children...

Thank Goodness IFs: #5 Preview

Tomorrow is TGIFs here on Zook Book Nook!

Whether your senses are in overdrive this Spring or underutilized in front of your computer, it's high time we got our sense of sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing in shape!

So gear up your five senses and let your minds roll over the five "What If" statements below and come back to my blog tomorrow to post your blog URL in Mister Linky!

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I could have spent more time staring at _____ this week...
(2) If I ever needed the sweet sensation of chocolate on my tongue, it was...
(3) If Swine flu and other influenzas are spread by touch, then I most likely encountered a bug this week...
(4) If a certain smell helps us to recall a certain memory, then...
(5) If I suddenly lost my ability to hear, then my children...

TGIFs: #4

It's Friday "Thank Goodness IFs" meme on my blog today!

For this week, I choose to write a story about time. I can't wait to read what you've written on your blog. Please be sure to leave your URL in Mister Linky below!

(4) If I had time to write a story about time it would go something like this. . .

The Seven Virtues of Time

Time after time, I am a writer-mama spinning my wheels before time runs out.

Love giggles to remind me, "time flies when you're having fun."

"Fun?" I ask as I fold laundry, scrub dishes, build towers, jot thoughts, and wipe mouths time and time again. The lifetime of a writer-mama is infinite on days when dogs have 'poop' accidents inside the house, toddlers have 'poop' accidents outside the potty, building blocks tumble easier than writer's block, and the power goes out so I can't count the minutes.

In the nick of time, I realize Rome wasn't built in a day and I take a timeout.

"This is the time of my life," I tell Hope as I look forward in time to when I will have all the time in the world to write around the clock, shower longer than 5 minutes, and go for a run outside.

"All in due time," Temperance says as Courage helps me peel the onion one layer at a time.

I bide my time, for time will tell Prudence I can't stop the hands of time. This is the time of my life, I remind myself again.

"Believe," whispers Faith, "for there's no time like the present." My toddler's adorable laughter as she 'shakes it' to the timeless tunes of Golden Oldies is a present in the present. I give in and love the moment for all it holds.

"When your time is up," Justice says, "not even in the next life time will you be able to go back in time to slow the hands of time. Have a whale of a good time now."

I look at my dancing daughter, wishing I could stop the hands of time but appreciating that time does go on so she can live a brilliant life.

And so the seven virtues and I embrace, and a good time was had by all who love cliches.

Now it's your turn to ponder the "what if" of time. Tick tock. Tick tock. . .

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I had to choose one hour of this past week to relive and do differently. . .
(2) If I could stop time forever, I would choose the year I was/am. . .
(3) If children were watchmakers, then. . .
(4) If I had time to write a story about time it would go something like this. . .
(5) If I had only until midnight before my enchanted carriage turned back into a pumpkin, I would. . .

Thank Goodness IFs: #4 Preview

If I had more time, I'd be more creative.

If I had less time, I'd be less afraid of taking chances.

As we get older, time becomes a bigger part of our lives. Thank goodness for the time we had as children when we could play and imagine and explore without the hands of time on our shoulders. As adults we feel the pressure of time and our lives tend to revolve around this pressure.



Tomorrow's Thank Goodness IFs focus on "time" and how you feel about it! Below are five "What if" statements to spur your thinking. Please choose one or more to answer in your blog on Friday and come back to my blog to post your blog's URL in Mister Linky!

Thank Goodness IFs:

(1) If I had to choose one hour of this past week to relive and do differently. . .

(2) If I could stop time forever, I would choose the year I was/am. . .

(3) If children were watchmakers, then. . .

(4) If I had time to write a story about time it would go something like this. . .

(5) If I had only until midnight before my enchanted carriage turned back into a pumpkin, I would. . .

TGIFs: #3

Happy Friday everyone! It's my hubby's birthday today, so I'm feeling extra thankful today that my "what if I never meet the right man" worries never saw light. Now I have fun imagining "what if we do this today and that tomorrow together."

For today's TGIFs, I chose (1) If I had time to create a homemade gift for someone...

I would gather up all of my oil and acrylic paints (checking first to see if they are still viable or dried and cracked up), craft supplies (endless boxes and bags of stickers, glitter, stamps, mosaic tiles, stain glass chips, beads, markers, crayons, pencils, etc), scrapbook paper, and yarn (my addiction, coming in second only to books and journals).

My kitchen table would be magically cleared away of my daughter's sticky lunch remains, finger paint papers, and recipes torn out of magazines.

My house would be empty except for the subtle sounds of Jack Johnson coming from our iPOD.

My creative juices would be at an all-time high, empowered from a full night's sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a good long run during which I achieved my best time ever.

And I would create. Something. Anything. For my husband for his birthday today. His joy over my creation would be minor compared to his exultation that I finally FINALLY used up all of my paints, craft supplies, papers, and yarn that have accompanied us on four moves from Tennessee to Japan to Virginia to Canada to Virginia.

"HOORAY! I'm the luckiest man on Earth today. This is the best birthday gift I could ever ask for."

But what to make for him next year I ponder as I spy a coupon for 20% off at Michael's.

Enjoy the big and small "What If" moments in your mind today!

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I had time to create a homemade gift for someone. . .
(2) If I was asked to write a memoir. . .
(3) If I could invite one person to Starbucks with me. . .
(4) If I had controlled my emotional outburst. . .
(5) If I danced a little bit more, sang a little bit louder, and played a little bit longer. . .

Thank Goodness IFs: #3 Preview

Thank Goodness It's Friday tomorrow! Time to begin pondering the "what if" moments of this week, so you can write about them in your blog tomorrow. If Mr. Linky is down tomorrow, then please put your blog URL in the comments so I can check out your TGIFs.

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I had time to create a homemade gift for someone. . .
(2) If I was asked to write a memoir. . .
(3) If I could invite one person to Starbucks with me. . .
(4) If I had controlled my emotional outburst. . .
(5) If I danced a little bit more, sang a little bit louder, and played a little bit longer. . .

Scroll down to read today's post for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop!!

TGIFs: #2

Thank Goodness It's Friday, the day for "What Ifs..."!

My TGIFs of the week. . .

If could be a guru about something, it would be having the ability to communicate with all animals. My hubby asked me a few days ago, "What would you choose: being able to converse in all human languages in the world or being able to communicate with all animals?" He chose people, I chose animals. What does this say about me? Us?

If I had one line that could "hook, line, and sinker," then I might have had more dates in my early years. Instead I was a shy, quiet bookworm, preferring time alone since any time I opened my mouth around boys I said something that was too serious, too deep, too real for them, according to my girl friends who had lots of lines to hook, line, and sink the boys. Fortunately my time alone helped me become the woman I am today, the woman my husband loves, so I feel lucky that my "what if" imaginings as a young woman never came true.

If I had been born in a different country, I would be most likely bilingual, maybe even multilingual. After living in Costa Rica for some time, I became fluent in Spanish. But my fluency is diminishing every day spent in the absence of conversations in Spanish.

I had all the best intentions of teaching my daughter Spanish when she was born, but that went out the door as I found it exhausting trying to communicate in Spanish with her. My pregnancy-brain swapped itself for mom-brain, and I've never quite gotten back my pre-pregnancy-mom brain. (Getting back to my pre-pregnancy-mom weight is challenging enough! Once again I have gained 50 lbs. during this pregnancy despite exercising every day and eating a lot healthier.) Sigh.

About 60-75% of people in the world are bilingual. The U.S. is a melting pot for cultures and languages, yet the majority of people I know speak only one language. Will my daughter's generation experience a growth in bilingualism with the spread of globalization?

Now it's your turn!

Below are five "What if" statements for your choosing! After you respond to one on your blog, be sure to post your blog URL in Mister Linky below so we can read what you wrote!

Thank Goodness IFs:
(1) If I could rewrite a story in the news this week. . .
(2) If I could be a guru about something, it would be. . .
(3) If I could have recorded on camera one moment this week. . .
(4) If I had been born in a different country, I would be. . .
(5) If I had one line that could "hook, line, and sinker" . . .

Thank Goodness Ifs: #2 Preview

Welcome to the second week of Zook Book Nook's Friday meme: Thank Goodness IFs!

Tomorrow is Friday, the day to give yourself the freedom to imagine the "what if" of your week and write about it on your blog. Please be sure to enter your URL into Mister Linky on my blog tomorrow, so others can visit your blog!

If this is your first time participating, then please check out the introduction for this meme!

If you are interested in sending me "If" statements of your own to be listed on a Friday meme, please email me one or more at zookbooknook (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'll list your blog URL with your "If" statement for a Friday meme!

I hope you enjoy letting your imagination spin over these Thank Goodness IFs! I am looking forward to reading your blogs with your responses tomorrow.

Thank Goodness IFs:

(1) If I could rewrite a story in the news this week. . .

(2) If I could be a guru about something, it would be. . .

(3) If I could have recorded on camera one moment this week. . .

(4) If I had been born in a different country, I would be. . .

(5) If I had one line that could "hook, line, and sinker" . . .

Please continue scrolling down for my Thursday post for

Mama Kat's writers workshop!

TGIFs: #1

Since this is the first Friday of TGIFs on my blog, I'll repeat the introduction I gave to this meme in my blog yesterday. If you already read it, please skip down to the IF statements and my post below! I'm looking forward to reading your own answer to the IF statements on your blog!

Zook Book Nook's meme is official: Thank Goodness IFs (TGIFs)!!

Today is the first Friday of TGIFs and I hope you'll enjoy participating in it!

Are you thankful it's Friday? Or are you grateful that some answers to your "If" imaginings this week didn't actually happen even though it might have made your week a bit more challenging? If we start to imagine how one tiny bump in our week or our life went differently, we may realize how many wonderful things did happen.

Purpose: Every Friday we'll allow ourselves the freedom to imagine the "What ifs..." that try to rule our world during the week that is full of highs and lows as parents, writers, workers, children, siblings, spouses, and individuals.

How it Works: Below is a set of "What If" statements. Choose one or more of them to answer on your blog Friday. Then leave your blog URL in Mister Linky on my blog on Friday, so everyone can link to your blog and read what you wrote!

Contribute: If you'd like me to add a "What If" statement of your own for a TGIFs Friday, please email me one or more at zookbooknook (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'll include your blog URL with your "What If" statement!

Thank Goodness Ifs:
(1) If I could have (or should have) told a white lie this week. . .
(2) If I could delete one conversation I had this week. . .
(3) If I received a bonus in my pay check today. . .
(4) If I had to choose between time alone in front of the wheel or time alone in front of the television. . .
(5) If I had an extra hour to spend with a child, we would. . .


For my first post on this TGIFs Friday, I will respond to #2! Please feel free to write a response to more than one "IF" if you wish!

If I could delete one conversation I had this week... it would have been the one where I held my crying terrified toddler in my arms while trying to listen to a man repeating himself over and over in my backyard. And this isn't the first time this has happened!

Since we're only living in this area for a year (we move around quite frequently as a military family), we decided to rent the house we're living in. The owners of this house are kind to hire an elderly man who comes once a month to blow leaves or flowers off the deck out back and pull weeds. He's a really nice man, but always insists on pounding, not knocking but pounding, on our back door until I answer it. And he always tries to step into our house or at least stand in the door itself, while our dog is barking ferociously and my daughter is crying.

His actions frighten my daughter (and dog), so she's usually in tears when I open the door. Although she's crying and I'm thanking him for his work so he will go, he doesn't get it. He talks louder and louder, telling me the details of what he's done during the hour he's been at our house. If my daughter wasn't frightened I would be glad to listen to him, but it baffles me that he doesn't quite understand the reason for her sobs. The barking jumping dog in the background doesn't help either.

When I finally do close the door and my daughter's tears ease up, I feel guilty that I wasn't friendlier to this man. Is he lonely? Does he have many people to talk to every day?

When I was in grad school I lived in an apartment below a 100-year-old woman named Bessie. Although she had five generations of children living in the area, she often told me that I was the only one she spoke with in person every day. As soon as I entered my apartment in the early evening after a long day in the lab or teaching, my phone would ring. It was Bessie, inviting me up for beef stew or meatloaf that had been cooking all day. I always went up, whether or not I had the energy to do so, and we'd spend an hour or more talking. She even danced the polka for me once!

Will we all be lonely one day? Even if we have children, grandchildren, or more, will we miss having someone to talk to every day? As a writer-mama who cherishes quiet, silent moments now, I wonder how I will feel about silence 60 years from now when I'll be 91-years-old. Perhaps I'll look back and say "thank goodness I did have those conversations that I wanted to delete, so I can think about them now during my silent, lonely days."

Thank Goodness IFs: #1 Preview

Zook Book Nook's meme is official: Thank Goodness IFs (TGIFs)!!

Tomorrow is the first Friday of TGIFs and I hope you'll enjoy participating in it!

Are you thankful it's Friday? Or are you grateful that some answers to your "If" imaginings this week didn't actually happen even though it might have made your week a bit more challenging? If we start to imagine how one tiny bump in our week or our life went differently, we may realize how many wonderful things did happen.

Purpose: Every Friday we'll allow ourselves the freedom to imagine the "What ifs..." that try to rule our world during the week that is full of highs and lows as parents, writers, workers, children, siblings, spouses, and individuals.

How it Works: Below is a set of "What If" statements. Choose one or more of them to answer on your blog Friday. Then leave your blog URL in Mister Linky on my blog on Friday, so everyone can link to your blog and read what you wrote!

Contribute: If you'd like me to add a "What If" statement of your own for a TGIFs Friday, please email me one or more at zookbooknook (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'll include your blog URL with your "What If" statement!

Thank Goodness Ifs:
(1) If I could have (or should have) told a white lie this week. . .

(2) If I could delete one conversation I had this week. . .

(3) If I received a bonus in my pay check today. . .

(4) If I had to choose between time alone in front of the wheel or time alone in front of the television. . .

(5) If I had an extra hour to spend with a child, we would. . .

Please continue scrolling down for today's post:

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop!