My Silly Mom Made Me Proud (Writer's Workshop)

When my mom taught preschoolers in Sunday School, one little boy said to her once “Wow, those are the biggest muscles I ever saw!” She thought it was funny he thought her flabby arms were muscular. My mom did not like her picture taken, kind of like the Amish that way. She was a big lady and self-conscious about her weight which is why I think she did not like getting her picture taken. Consequently, I have very few pictures of her but just a few weeks ago, I came across this one which is the best! She was not one who over ate, but she had a terrible time with weight control. She finally joined a Take Off Pounds Sensibly club (“TOPS”) and even got voted in as President! This picture of her was taken at TOPS the year she won for losing a lot of pounds. She was so happy that I went to the awards dinner with her. I was extremely proud of her.

One of the silly memories I have of mom is when she got her false teeth. You know how a little kid sticks out his tongue when someone says something to them they don’t like? Well, my mom used to do that with her false teeth. I thought it was funny when she would push them out of her mouth sometimes when she was in a silly mood. It always made me laugh! I wish I had a picture of her doing that!

What’s a funny memory you have of your mom? Was there a time when you were extremely proud of your mom? Do you have false teeth?

This post is inspired by Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop prompt to write about a memory of your mother.

Ever Wanted To Try Something But Afraid Of Looking Foolish?

I used to love playing catch in the backyard with my brother. We would take turns pitching and catching, pretending we were part of a game and sometimes threw the ball over the pitcher’s head for a hit. It was fun! As a kid I would have loved to try one of those speed machines that measure how fast you throw, but don’t remember ever seeing one then.

I am always tempted to give it a try now though when I see one, but there are always people around. I’m afraid of looking foolish and only throwing about 30 mph, if that. Last summer there was one at the Science Center but several boys were around it so I just watched for a bit and moved along with Gerard. When we went to the Indians-Red Sox game last week, I passed up another opportunity. Again, too many boys doing it. One of these days though, I’m going to do it!

What about you? Is there something you would like to try but haven’t yet? If so, why not?

Remember The Trolls

We are the Troll Family!

This is my little troll family but I am missing two of the little brothers: Blackie and Greenie and their little pet gray mouse with red whiskers.  They were the same size as the little one in the middle with the straight orange hair.  They must have been kidnapped! The tall green one with the red hair was the mother, the black haired one the father (because my dad had black hair), the two teen boys: the bushy white haired one and the long thin green haired one. Shows how naive and innocent I was. I don't recall what the big attraction was, but I liked the different colored hair that you could play around with and pet.  The two little ones with the clothes in front were the grandparents!

Here is the thread on Facebook that prompted this post so here you go, Sara:

Heather: My mom told me about those dolls. When I was in school, we had pencils with a little troll doll on the end. We'd do the hair up like your mini here...and then we'd roll the pencil really fast between o ur hands to make the hair go crazy :) :)
April 8 at 4:05pm · Like

Sara: I had forgotten about them until my friend, Barbara, reminded me. I had them with all different color hair. Wish I knew where they were now. I used to like to braid their hair. Love the idea of them on a pencil.
April 8 at 4:15pm · Like

Lori: Funny I was just thinking back to those dolls the other day. They were weird little naked things but every one wanted one.
April 9 at 9:25am · Like · 1 person

Sara: They were definitely fun.
April 9 at 9:27am · Like · 1 person

Karen: I still have my trolls!
Sunday at 4:56pm · Like

Sara: Karen, share them on your FB page or your blog so I can see them please!
Monday at 6:29am · Like

Karen: Okay, I'll do a post about them soon. Thanks for the idea.
Monday at 11:56am · Like

What childhood toys do you still have? I have quite a few! I always thought I would save them for when I had children but that never happened.

Who Has Significantly Impacted The Course Of Your Life Other Than Family?

Here are the six people who have significantly impacted the course of my life:

Michelle (left front), Pam (back right) and John (right front), the three foster kids that my parents took in and raised as their own. Because they came, my life was enriched. Because of them, I became compassionate and developed empathy. They showed me not everyone was as fortunate as I and they caused me to appreciate my parents even more. Had I been an only child, I would have been more sheltered and missed out on having our house being the neighborhood meeting place. Had they not joined our family, I probably would have had way more stuff than I needed but no one to share it with. We had a lot of fun together and without them in my life, I would have been very lonely, I’m sure. They helped me relax and have fun and not be so serious all the time. (Technically, they may be considered family, but they weren’t when they first came, so I’m counting them here.)

 Here we are all grown up:  Michelle (Cancer survivor), me, Pam, and John

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An Interesting Classmate (Writer’s Workshop)

Why was Tarin K., My Kindergarten Friend, So Special? First off, he was nice to me and helped me with a worksheet. I don’t remember too many classmates, but I remember Tarin because I really liked him. (I thought Tarin & Karen had a pretty nice ring to it.) He lived down the street from me on the other side and we used to play with trains and army men together. (Yes, I was a tomboy.)

Second, I remember one day he sang “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” in school as a solo one day. I was so impressed and never forgot it. Every time I hear that song, I think of Tarin and wonder if he remembers me. I even remember his LAST name! If you happen to read this, Tarin, I’d love to hear what you are doing now.

Do you remember a unique classmate?  What was so unique about them?

This is part of Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop in response to the prompt: “What made them so interesting? Remember a unique classmate from your past? Write about him/her” which was inspired by writingfix.com.

Sewing Was My Worst Class

Because my mom was overweight, she sewed a lot of her own clothes and was good at it. I think she knew better than to try to teach me though. I was a Tomboy through and through and had no interest in learning to sew. She was thrilled that I was going to learn at school. I was expected to go to school every day and do my best. Personally, I felt I should have the option of taking woodworking instead. Back then, girls had to take Home Ec and only boys were allowed to take woodworking. It was so unfair!

I absolutely hated 7th grade because of sewing. I’d say it was the second worst year of my education. For the first time in my life, I was introduced to sewing. My sister and I were both in the same grade so we both had clothing at the same time. What you would think would be a very useful class was a joke for me.

Struggling Through

Our first project was to make a simple skirt. Mine was dark brown. I was best at threading the needle. I had steady hands and could easily slip that thread through the eye of the needle. The hardest part was making a knot in the end of the thread and knotting it again when I was done.

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The Lamb Of God

With Easter fast approaching (obviously I scheduled this post ahead because Easter is here!), I can't help but think about past Easters and how amazing God is! When I went shopping at Giant Eagle yesterday, I saw cakes shaped like a lamb which triggered memories of my mom baking cakes like that for Easter. Jesus is referred to as the lamb of God because in the Old Testament times the perfect male lamb was sacrificed for sin offerings to God.

When Jesus came and voluntarily laid down his life for the sins of the world, he died once for all and did away with the need for animal sacrifices by shedding his blood for the remission of sins. He was the only one who lived a perfect life and so was "without blemish" as was required of the sacrificial lamb.

I was tempted to buy that lamb cake, but resisted. I bought the chocolate eggs instead that I used in Sunday School when I played Easter Bingo with my boys. I let them use those to cover the card with and then the winners got to keep the four they won with. The lesson was on John 14:6 when Jesus said,

I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father but by me.

Many people today shout Christians are intolerant of other religions because they think Christianity is the only true religion. Anyone who believes Jesus is the Son of God, must believe what he said and taught were true. This verse is why Christians believe that trusting in Jesus is the only way to heaven and God the Father. This is what comes through if you read this whole chapter.

I am so thankful that I was raised in a Bible believing church that taught me who Jesus is and for my Christian parents who set a good example for me. It was on an Easter Sunday long ago that I repented of my sin and asked Jesus to save me and help me to live for Him all the days of my life.

My favorite Easter hymns are: He Lives, Up From The Grave, Because He Lives, At Calvary. I was disappointed in our Good Friday service entitled "I Wonder." We didn't get to sing any of my favorite hymns. In fact, the congregation didn't get to sing at all! It was all the choir, special numbers and the orchestra with a little skit and video thrown in. I really felt like I was just there being entertained instead of really worshiping my Savior. At least the choir sang "Were You There" and "Nothing But The Blood" but all the other musical numbers were contemporary. Times have changed . . . I wonder why some things just can't stay the same. I much prefer the old-time hymns and if we don't use them, kids growing up now will miss out.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Easter. (Please stop by "My Funny Dad, Harry" blog to read my other Easter post: "Easter Was Great Except For Those Stupid Hats."

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Chess Always Reminds Me Of My First Crush

Do you remember your first crush? Mine was on Dale, the son of one of my mom’s best friends. Our families used to get together sometimes for holidays and picnics. He had a sister my age and an older brother. I thought he was very good looking and he was always nice to me. I was maybe three to five years younger than him. I liked him because he was the first person to show me how to throw a football and also taught me how to play Chess. When our families got together, we would play. I remember beating him with my rook a few times. I thought it was so great that he paid attention to me.

I remember going to his wedding thinking he was making a big mistake. His bride actually cried all through the ceremony! I thought, “poor Dale.” The only reason I think he married her was because he got into a car accident with her and she had to be hospitalized for some time. I think he just felt guilty. The marriage didn’t last very long and I felt bad for him all over again. I never saw him again after he got married.

I always liked the game of Chess and to this day think of Dale whenever I play it. It's a game of pure strategy and thinking ahead with some manipulating which helps. There is really no luck involved like in most other games. Do you play Chess? Do you remember who taught you?

Since I love the game of Chess, I just had to take this quiz from blogthings on "If you were on a chess board, would you be a queen or a pawn?"

It said I am a Bishop

You are limited in what kind of moves you make, but that only encourages you to be wilier. If you sit back and think carefully, you can be just as deadly as any of the other players on the board. It's all about using your head. While it does get annoying to be underestimated all the time, you can use that to your advantage. You can attack and retreat quickly, without anyone hardly noticing. As far as skills go, that's an excellent one to have! I am happy to be a bishop. I like that piece even though it can only move diagonally. The only pieces I like better is my rook and of course, my queen.

What Chess Piece Are You? click here to take the quiz

and please share your result in the comments.

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Mom's Six Tips To Winning Scrabble

Today is the 9th anniversary of my mother's death so I am thinking about her a lot lately. One of the memories I have is of playing games often with her. We both enjoyed games a lot! She was the "Scrabble Queen." Even when she'd win, she wasn't satisfied unless she had over 300 points. I still have some of the scores in my Scrabble set. She shared her strategies with me and I was able to become more competitive. She'd always win so as a kid, the most fun for me was at the end of the game when we overturned all the letters on the board and then dumped them back in the box trying not to flip any over.

The other night when I played on www.pogo.com, I won with 315! (PlSwts is my screen name, feel free to add me as a "friend" if you play on there.) It was like I had her back for awhile.

So, anyhow, I thought I'd share mom's tips with you so here they are:

1) Make longer words early in the game if possible. This helps use the whole board.

2) Use the higher letters on the special double or triple letter squares. Avoid trading these in unless it's very near the end of the game.

3) Always watch for possible words to capture by adding an "S" or an "ING" or "ED" or "ER."

4) Try to avoid making a word that sets up an available triple word square for your opponent unless you have a word you can play on your very next turn, but even then it's better to let your opponent set up the space for you.

5) Don't hold on to words on your rack waiting for a spot to play them more than 1 or 2 turns.

6) It's better to play than trade in letters early.

That's about it. Now get out that Scrabble game and enjoy playing with someone trying these tips and see if your score doesn't improve!

Silly Games & Things I Did As A Kid (Writer's Workshop)

On the way to running to my bus stop this morning (as usual), a tiny bunny rabbit ran along with me, sort of. It actually was a bit ahead of me which spurred me on to run faster, being the competitive person that I am. I tried to outrun the rabbit. I actually did it and felt victorious because the rabbit stopped first and I passed it right by.

This "event" jogged a long-time memory of something I used to do when I was around 4th-5th grade. I was never much of a bike rider, partly because we weren't allowed to really go anywhere on our bikes except our own street. At least we didn't. In my head I imagined a finish line up about 6 houses from my driveway. We lived near the end of a street so when a car turned onto our street, I would zip down the drive and head for the "finish line," racing against the car. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost so felt it was a fair race.

This got me thinking of some other silly things we used to do for entertainment as kids. On hot days when we were just sitting on the porch, we would play "Who You Going to Marry?" This is really just people watching. We took turns and if someone walked by or drove by when it was your turn, that was who you would marry and the kind of car you would have. Very simple game, the only exception was that my brother got all the women. Even as kids we knew marriage was between a man and woman! Too bad adults always complicate things.

Another fun game we used to do in our backyard that really destroyed what little grass we had didn't even have a name. I loved ball and would bounce a rubber ball against the garage and field it and throw again. This is how I practiced fielding. Well, my friend and sisters and brother started riding their bikes threw my little practice session and it turned into a fun game. They would try not getting hit with the ball and I would try to hit them with it when it bounced of the garage--I didn't throw directly at them. After all, that would be too easy!

Swing sets can be made more fun too. Just swinging is okay, but I am one who likes games. When we'd go to the park where there was a swing set, three of us would swing with one of us standing at each end of the set. We would roll a ball, similar to the kind used in dodge ball under the swings, trying to get it all the way through. The ones on the swings would try to kick it as it went by, scoring a point if they succeeded. After awhile, we took turns rolling the ball through and whoever had the most points after everyone had a turn throwing, won. Very simple, but really fun!

I didn't care for swimming but found a fun use of our backyard pool. It was fun to play with my army men in the water. They never sank and we could make them swim by making waves in the water. I'd use the floating styrofoam boards as islands. Of course, army men were fun to play with on land too, but most kids do that. In the water was different.

I had quite a few marbles too. My brother and I would sometimes play marble war. We split the marbles in half and set them up in a formation at either end of a carpeted room. Then one at a time, we would roll one marble our and aim at the other's marble to try to hit the other's marble first. When your marble got hit, it was eliminated. The one with marbles left the longest was the winner.

Gerard liked playing baseball every day, hide-n-seek in the dark with a flashlight outside with his friends (called it "Spotty") and some kind of tackle game which he was very good at because he was so big. It took four kids to get him down so that was one game where he was always chosen early!

Linked up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop for the prompt: Childhood memories--What you liked to do as a kid.