today is…

today is…

the last day of the slice of life writing challenge,

a feeling of success,

a feeling of sadness,

the end is here!

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today is…

the last day of getting up a little extra early,

knowing tomorrow i’ll sleep a bit later,

knowing tomorrow i’ll find something different to read in the morning,

the end is here!

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today is…

the last day of revising, editing, and publishing,

not needing to be sure i have a slice of my life ready to share,

not needing to scrutinize my post just one more time,

the end is here!

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today is…

the last day of hearing my WordPress notification chime,

no more wondering who read my blog,

no more commenting on a favorite find,

the end is here!

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today is…

the end,

but is it really?

tuesday is right around the corner!

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I Got This!

This literally has been a marathon of writing, perhaps even an ultra marathon! Last year I participated in the Slice of Life challenge, but I only posted twelve times over the course of the month; I never crossed the finish line. This year it has been different! This post marks thirty days of sharing a slice of my life-a marathon of mental exercise. Always thinking and always tap, tap, tapping away on the iPad-getting those ideas and thoughts down QUICK, pushing through and reminding myself…

I got this!

There were times when I was wishing March only had thirty days, and maybe you did too. I even asked myself, “Why can’t we have the challenge in February?  There are only 28/29 days in February!” It’s like when you’re running a marathon and you wonder why a marathon can’t be just twenty-six miles but nooooo, it’s twenty-six point two miles!  Regardless, I pushed through and reminded myself …

I got this! 

Then, there were times when I was telling myself that I’ll never do this again! It’s too much work and I don’t have the time to devote to writing. Since I’m so close to crossing the finish line, the feelings have changed and I’ve forgotten all about the mental anguish. I pushed through and reminded myself…

I got this!

Now I know I’m going to make it to the finish line—thirty-one days of slicing! Here’s what I did to push through and remind myself…

I got this!

1. Gathering a stack of mentor texts to inspire my writings. Whenever writer’s block would set in I just picked up a mentor text.
   

   some of my favorites

2. Before the challenge began, I set up drafts/templates in WordPress for each day of the month. This was a huge time saver! Thanks to Literacy Learning Zone for this idea.
3. Evernote has been a godsend! I used Evernote as my writing journal.  I established a special notebook just for writing and blogging. This app is on my MacBook, iPhone, and iPad so I am never without it.
   

   
4. Sliceable moments were all around me, so before the challenge began I made a list of possible topics. I didn’t want to get backed into a corner of “what do I write?” I used the Evernote app to capture possible writing topics and I actually came up with 40 topics.
   

   my personalized writing prompts

5. Whenever I came across a blog that had and idea I thought I could use for a future post I added it to my Pocket app. This also helped me overcome writer’s block.
   

   
6. Working on multiple posts at the same time got a bit crazy, but as a thought would strike me I’d add it to my “dump journal” in Evernote. I had multiple rough drafts going at a time.
   

   rough drafts

7. I stayed on top of the posts by revising and editing them the night before I was ready to post them.
8. WordPress allows me to schedule the publishing of finished post, so I took full advantage of this. I would schedule my final post before I went to bed.  Then I knew when I woke up in the morning that my post was live.
9. I used the inspiration from the comments that were left on my blog to hold me accountable (those of you who showed up again and again, I.THANK.YOU!) and I commented on other blogs to keep me connected to the community of writers.
10. Last but not least, I just went out there and had fun!

Thanks for the ride!  

It’s been fun!

I got this!  

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A Moment of Zen

As a child, I remember…

the magic, the enchantment, the fascination,

the vibrant colors of the tiny pebbles,

the rotation of the wheel,

the tumbling of the cut glass to the right, to the left,

the amazement of how the colors fell into place,

the uniqueness of the patterns,

the way the light enters, creates the intricate yet beautiful symmetrical design,

for no two designs are ever the same–

the magic of the kaleidoscope!

The Zen of the Kaleidoscope 

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You allow me to regress back,

to the simplicity of my childhood.

Patterns of predictability,

while simultaneously being mindful.

Working at a steadfast pace,

that creates a tangible piece of art–

a feeling of accomplishment.

You give me permission to slow down,

and enjoy the moment.

The Zen of Coloring

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Monday Blues

Wrapping the blankets around me

in my cozy, warm bed.

I have to rise and shine,

the alarm says it’s time!

Guess I’ve got a case

of the Monday back-to-school blues.

Feeling kind of groggy,

although I’m trying to deny it.

The weekend was busy,

full of family and celebrations.

I could use just one more day,

but the winter snow gave this Monday away!

The rays of sunshine reach out to me,

but I’m just a-wiggling,

definitely not a-giggling–

Got those Monday back-to-school blues!

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Oh, Pinterest!

My husband is the chef of the house and my daughter is the pastry chef. And me? Well, I try to stay out of the kitchen at all costs, and my family likes it that way!  But, Maddie has always liked to tinker around with decorating cakes. Here’s a quick look at some of her cakes through the years:

Chocolate Lover’s Cake

Cupcaketastic Panda

Minions

Since Maddie is home for the Easter break she decided that she wanted to bake a cake for our family celebration.  Off to Pinterest she went to look for the perfect Easter cake. This is what she found so I told her to go for it!

She bought all the ingredients, purchased the special cake decorating tip and even found a cake stand at Home Goods for her Easter cake. Then we scheduled a time for her to be in the kitchen since Matt would be using the oven to cook the hams.

Here’s how it unfolded:

• coloring and baking the three layers of the cake: check
• allowing enough time for the cakes to cool: check
• followed the icing recipe to a tee and making the icing: check
• cakes coming out of the cake pan without any drama: check
• stacking the cakes on the cake stand: check
• icing the cake: FAIL! 😦

Now, I can’t help Maddie in the kitchen when an epic fail occurs.  Remember, I’m not the chef or the pastry chef. Basically, I’m the dishwasher. So, Maddie was left to her own defenses since Matt was not home.  She improvised and messed around with the icing the best she could, but time on the clock was tick, tick, ticking! And, her frustration level was rise, rise, rising!  The icing for some reason was not the correct consistency. With that being said, she didn’t get to use the new cake decorating tip nor did she decorate the top of the cake the way she wanted. While Maddie was a bit bummed, here’s the final product:

Lesson learned: when it comes to baking you can’t always trust the recipes you find on Pinterest.  This isn’t the first time this has happened, but hopefully it’s the last!

Happy Easter!

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Good-bye

 

 

Dear M.,

Tonight we celebrated you.

We were more than your friends.

We were your family.

You picked us; you chose us.

You made us laugh; we made you laugh.

You made us happy; we made you happy.

We shared good times with you; we shared not so good times.

You made us cry,

and boy have we cried,

but tonight we celebrated you for a final good-bye.

And as we did,

we reminded ourselves that we will always be connected you

and each other

just as you wished!

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the hummingbird

the hummingbird

symbolizes enjoyment of life

the sweetness of the day

to love more fully

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the hummingbird

utters to be more present

demonstrates independence

brings playfulness and joy to life

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the hummingbird

says lift up negativity

be resilient, travel great distances

express love in daily endeavors

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the hummingbird

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Life is a constant of changes.  As I go through my days I am hoping the hummingbird symbolizes the life in which I am seeking. Today’s post is what is called a “found poem.”  For more about found poems visit:

Creative Writing Now

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Currently

Currently I’m…

celebrating: Maddie’s arrival home for Easter

enjoying: the warm spring days

eating: chocolate chip cookie dough Talenti gelato

reading: Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

planning: a conference to the Scholastic Reading Summit

thinking: about Easter dinner

cleaning: my house

pampering: my nails

needing: more sleep

creating: a playlist for my next half-marathon

running: 9.3 miles

caring: for the rabbits at the SPCA

drinking: lots of water
loving: my kaleidoscope coloring book and new colored pencils
tweeting: post 24 of 31 for #sol16

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A Writer’s Ramblings

I’m suppose to be writing…

but instead I decided to visit a few blogs first.  I hopped over to Literacy Learning Zone. I always love her posts so I read her slice and then left a comment: Great post! Thanks for sharing! I know it’s a lame comment, but I’m suppose to be writing my slice so something is better than nothing, right?

I’m suppose to be writing…

but my WordPress notification chimed.  I’m gong to just check it real fast before I get started.  I just want to see who it is. Oh, it’s Tara.  I’ll just reply swiftly with a speedy “Thanks!”  Another lame response, but I’m suppose to be writing!

I’m suppose to be writing…

but wait, I just visited Mrs. Nabors’ Nook.  I wonder if I follow her on Twitter.  I think I’ll be real zippy and check. Oh, I don’t follow her.  I better add her…okay, added. While I’m on Twitter I might as well check my feed PDQ (pretty darn quick!).  Even though nothing is ever truly quick, I’ll scroll through a few tweets.  Perfect! I think I’ll retweet the tweet about the Scholastic Reading Summit that I will be attending this summer. Whew, at least I made my presence of Twitter tonight.

I’m suppose to be writing…

but Holly just texted me-wants to know what my workout is going to be tomorrow.  I decided to text her back lickety-split: I’m running 6 miles. Join me if you want. I promise NO HILLS 🙂 Her reply back: No thanks, I’m going to the gym to do GRIT.  That’s Holly, she’s so hard core!

I’m suppose to be writing…

but I think I’ll check my INSTAGRAM.  It doesn’t take long for me to tap the heart button on the pics I like.  Besides that, Nicolle posted a picture of her dog Scout today and I want to write a comment before I forget.

I’m suppose to be writing…

but I guess I finally am!

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Just Zippin’ Around

Springtime Means a Trip to 12946 

IRONMAN

Mirror Lake

a time with fabulous friends and creating marvelous memories

swimming, biking, and running

eating out and relaxing in between

It’s July 4th, Time to Visit 21561 

My family

vacation

treasured times of hanging out

boating on the lake all day

delightful

Visiting 19971 in the Summer

Sunshine

morning walks on the beach with the crashing waves

and lazy afternoons with the hot, humid salt air

reading books in the warm summer sand

blissful

But My Favorite Place is 17404 All Year Long

Happiness

enjoying summer days together on the deck

gathering for the holidays

times to always treasure

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Today’s post I was having fun with zip codes in the form of poetry.  Here’s how it works: A ZIP code is five numbers, so the number of words in each line is determined by the number in that particular zip code. Give it a try!

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