She finds her VOICE!!!

So for those of you who follow the family, you may know that although H loves to act and sing and has taken voice lessons along the way, she has always held back a bit. She never really brought it at an audition and blew the directors off their chairs or anything wild. She would sing. She never really practiced to sing great, she just kind of showed up and did it and hoped for the best. She did okay. She got parts, songs and lines. But never scored a lead and always the directors would say later when they heard she really could sing that they were surprised how nice her voice was, cause she really didn't showcase her talent in auditions.

I tried to tell her but you know teenagers...mom is never right until maybe later after 10 other people tell her the same thing.  So, despite many many plays over many many summers and her Middle School production last year, she hasn't had a lead part. Which is fine. She's building a resume and honing her skill. I knew eventually she'd come into her own.

Well, it finally happened. At the end of this camp year, her group put on a cabaret production of Glee songs and H had several solo parts. But, the one that really surprised us was her singing with 2 of the biggest voices at camp a solo in "Don't Rain on My Parade".  The worrisome part was the young girl also doing part of this solo is a belt singer. She can wail. It is what she does. She has a great voice. She is a stage singer.  The young man also has a great voice - his is probably the best of the three of them, great control, tone, richness. These kids all of them are uber talented. Kind of crazy for a bunch of 6, 7, and 8th graders. H's voice is beautiful, rich and has great tone but control and belting not her high suit. Not cause she couldn't do it but because she refused to practice to get better at it. Till NOW.

See below. She is the second voice you hear on the solo the brunette standing next to the blond girl throughout. She is walking in on the floor from stage right so I couldn't see it was her right away and so surprising was her performance that you hear us pondering if that is her...cause we were blown away at our little girl's ability to wail!!!  And stay on key which is not always the case as you shall also see. (sorry).  You Go Girl. I think our little performer has finally arrived. Watch out world!!!

Too Cool for School

Well, we are back to school and schedules and dance class and Girl Scouts and our nice normal life. Okay maybe not that normal but chaos is not necessarily the enemy at our house. We balance and juggle and tumble and giggle through it daily.  The typical day starts at 6:30 a.m. and has H out the door for the bus by 7:30.  Joel gets ready for work and while he is getting lunch packed and eating breakfast, I'm showering for a hard day in the office -- my home office that is - still can't get over how awesome that really is.  He kisses me and heads off for the day and I grab breakfast and head to the computer to start my day. I break for lunch at 1 p.m. and then the tricky crazy part of the day begins. 2 days a week I have to pick H up at school cause she has early dance classes and needs to get home, change eat something and then she is off to dance class. She dances 4 days a week. 1 day a week she have 5 hours of class and then homework when she gets home. She eats before and after and is beat on that day but she is pretty disciplined about getting homework done at school or while eating before or after dance. Then the other 3 days she has more holes for homework between all that pirroutting and such. Twice a month she has Girl Scouts. And shortly, school activities will begin too and she will be doing theater again which is when things get really crazy.

Thing is as crazy as all that is, we manage it pretty easily. Days fly by and sometimes I wish I didn't have to run crazy around town dropping picking dropping picking all afternoon, but when I see how hard she works to get the schoolwork done between it and how determined she is to be a good student and a good dancer, I'm pretty proud. She's growing into a lovely human being who can dance pretty well too.

My one hope is that she doesn't fall in love with another activity cause I'm pretty sure we have no more room in this crazy tight schedule.

Seussical the Musical

Life in our house is always full of drama....and dance....and song....and just plain drama.  After all, any of you with girls in the house over the age of 10 know that raising girls comes with a little drama. However, in our house we have drama of the fun and musical variety too, because Hannah is a theater geek. YAY. I am totally living vicariously through my daughter. See many moons ago in a highschool in the middle of Farmertown, USA, a teenage me also discovered the love of theater. I will never forget how it began. Our Middle School had been invited to an afternoon production of the High School Musical, "Funny Girl".  We all went because we had to and didn't care what the reason or the result as long as we were missing classwork. I'd done a skit from Hamlet in 3rd or 4th grade or was it Macbeth? I was a witch - it was the one with "out damned spot" and it was required for English class. So I was ambivalent about this whole outing, but getting out of a math class makes everything just a teensy bit better.

Well, the girl who had the lead was really great and could really sing. I remember being mesmerized. I could not wait to be in highschool and star in their next production. Funny me, that I thought it was all that easy. I signed up to take drama as an English class, plus I was in the Drama club and was first in line for auditions. The play was Our Town. It wasn't a musical but I landed a part. I very tiny part with one line but I was in. The musical was "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying". This was the tricky part...the singing. I love to sing and can sing well, but singing on a stage with people watching and not in the privacy of my room with my hairbrush microphone was something altogether different and horrifying. I sucked. So, I was cast into the the chorus without lines and yearning to be more and do more. It wasn't until my Senior year that Godspell was the play and I wanted the part of Sonja more than anything. Trouble was twofold. One I still had horrible stage fright and two, Sonja's song "Turn Back O Man!" was a belty Alto 2 - I sang an ethereal Soprano I. My chorus director, who was also the play's director advised me against trying to transition. Still, I loved the part and the song and the truth was the only Soprano I part was going to go to Marialena. She and I both sang well, but she would edge me out head to head and I knew it, so the best bet was to try and train my voice down.

I practiced for days. Singing the song over and over to the frustration and aggravation of my whole family, but it worked. I could belt the heck out of it and it was good. Still that whole stage fright thing was lurking. The audition day came and I stood center stage as the director and co-director stood below chatting. I could hear him discussing his concern for my vocal range and ability to pull off this audition selection which did nothing for my knocking knees. The music began and I croaked, "Turn Back"  -- Damn nerves go away - I thought. "Oh Man" -- another crack - crap C'mon girl you got this push those nerves out of your voice.  All the while, the director is shaking his head as if to say "See I told you." and is jotting notes like "she sucks" on his notepad. When out of my body comes "FORESWEAR THY FOOLISH WAYS!"  with all the verbrato and control - so much so that the walls shook with the echo and the director dropped his clipboard and stared jaw agape. I continued flawlessly and got the part. I also had a blast and went onto major in Drama in college. My love of drama continues despite my life taking me in directions far from Broadway or Hollywood.  (Picture - me in the red)

Still, Hannah started theater at camp several years ago, and continues to develop her acting skills and her vocal abilities. It just makes me so proud. This year they did Seussical and Hannah's part was Mrs Mayor. She rocked and although a tad disappointed that she didn't have a bigger part, since this is her last year as a camper, she still did a stellar job. She had a great lesson too in the realities of life. Sometimes, you don't get what you want but you still have to work as a team to complete a job. Theater is a great equalizer. It has taught her grace and compassion and tolerance, not to mention timing, musicality and teamwork. And good old mom can cheer her on while  having fun reliving the good old days watching her. Will she be the next young star on TV or movies or Broadway? Who knows? Even if it is just school and camp fun, it will be some of the greatest memories ever. (Pictures - she in the red)

Getting my butt in gear

I am attempting to write more in my blog. Not that my interesting life is all that interesting, but simply because I am a writer and I need to work at my art more diligently. The thing is there is this book - well really two books. One is a children's book that is rhyming and sweet and about Hanukkah and has been completed since my daughter was two. My son did some of the illustrations and I am waiting for the rest of the illustrations. He assures me I'll have them soon. I'm nagging him this time.

The second book is more serious and more important and more difficult by far. It was started 10 years ago. Quick synopsis. I had a chat with a work friend about God. He was ambiguous about God and faith. I told him to look at his life and find all the miracles. He was going to work on it over Christmas. Shortly thereafter, on a day fraught with awfulness beyond description at my loathsome job, I was crying on my way home from work. In my car, I called out to God to help me get out of that godforsaken place and He told me to write the book on miracles. I came home and sat at my computer and typed for hours and had 128 pages and it was good, but not so great grammatically so I edited it. I edited it so well that all the passion and fervor and wonderfulness was edited away completely, but the grammar was spot on. UGH. So, I have tried and tried for ten years to fix and put back what I took out. So, now on version number four I'm praying on it alot and working it through without over working it and it is coming along slowly. I am determined to publish it soon though.

So, in the meantime, in my spare time, typed while laughing hyena like at the thought of any "spare" time ever, I thought I could hone my skill a bit in my blog. To that end, I want to try and post at least one time a week instead of one time a month. Let's see how that goes. So far I've posted 3 times recently so I'm making strides. Mind you I have a couple blogs too. This though is my favorite. My family is my precious commodity and I love having this venue to share whats new with us.

It is so much more fun than other social media where you get a snippet of whats new or droll and boring updates about potty training, parties, or traffic. I don't pretend our lives are so interesting that our every bowel movement should be broadcast for the world to see. In fact, that uber voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of people I don't know all that well is a little creepy sometimes. I always feel that a blog gives me an outlet for expression but gives people a choice as to weather they want to read it or care about it. And my family can see what's up and friends too and now I can share it on FB too. Weird world we live in that much is sure.

Well, back to work. I have a lot to do and it will be day over before I know it. Happens every day. Where does time go??

Camp, Dance, Drama - repeat

The joy of summer at my house is summer camp. Hannah has already settled nicely into her last year of camp at the JCC Camp, as a camp. The camp isn't far from home, but she loves it. This wonderful camp full of crazy fun features so many activities I cannot imagine how I settled for Girl Scout camp's cedar lake and bug juice for 4 weeks each summer. JCC Camp has a high ropes course, several pools, a cedar lake with big blow up slides and trampolines in the middle of it, every sports court imaginable, rock climbing, mini golf, GAGA courts, a sledding course (carpet, high ramp, inner tubes, and water), and a theater program. Plus, you can do computer art, wheel ceramics, cooking, science, nature studies, mosiacs, leather, wearable art, and woodworking. That is only a handful of the fun available. This day camp packs a lot of fun into your tuition buck, that much is for sure.

This is Hannah's last year as a camper and her friends are many. She immersed herself in drama a few years back and each year the camp kicks out a production in about 3 weeks. Camp started on the 21st production is July 16th. This year it's Suessical. Hannah is Mrs. Mayor.

She has taken an interest in theater and music and dance that makes my heart leap in delight. I was a drama geek in High School and college. I never pursued it beyond local theater. Reasons abound but lack of moral support really was my deal breaker. I never oozed self confidence as a kid. So, I love being able to support and cheer Hannah on in her pursuits. And pursuits she has many this year.

Not only 2 plays at camp, but she is prepping a dance number for her Silver Award in Girl Scouts that will also be her solo number for competitions this year. Can you believe a girl with only 1 year of dance under her belt is gearing up to compete as a solo artist? She is amazing to me.

 Her first show at camp as an Oompa Loompa in Willie Wonka

 As a Hot Box Girl in Guys and Dolls 2012

 As one of the girls singing and dancing in Fiddler on the Roof

 As a Chesire Cat in Alice In Wonderland

 Pajama Day at Camp helping with the younger kids.

Every year the second show is all musical numbers Hannah is standing just right of the mic stand.

Last year she was Lady Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress. And she was the General in Guys and Dolls in her Middle School production. A star is born!!

Writing for fun and profit

Since I retired, I have been putting more time and effort into my writing. I am working diligently on getting published and am finding the process much more daunting that I had imagined. First, I love to write, truly it is a passion, but actually immersing myself into it as I should daily has been a challenge. I don't really know why. I just can find a billion distractions. Have I mentioned my dislike for Facebook, Pinterest and Candy Crush. Seriously, hours have been lost to nothingness thanks to those sites specifically. Hours I can never recoup. It's awful and addictive.

Lately, I have been seeking writing jobs in addition to working on my own editing of my book. Yes, I wrote a book - the working title is "A Glimmer of Hope" and it will be available on Amazon soon I hope. I also have a children's book being illustrated called "Hannah's Hanukkah".  The latter placed 25th (or there about) in Writer's Digest Fiction contest several years ago. I've actually had a few of my works awarded. I also had an article place 27th in the same year. It was about wedding planning.

My first published work was in 1970. I was ten. My fourth grade teacher entered a poem I had written in class for publication in NJEA magazine and they published it. I had know idea that years later I'd be looking back on that thinking, why haven't I tried to publish anything since then. Rejection? Fear? Complacency? All of the above?  Probably the latter is most true, but also there is a life and a job and a busy schedule that derailed a career as a writer.  I had a steady full time career. Writing was a hobby, not a job and I couldn't risk my income for the possibility of an income. I had a family to support, so it was back-burnered until now.

So for the past few months, I've been upgrading blog entries. Trying to improve posting regularly. Still a work in progress. I also have been setting aside days to work on writing. And I have been engaged in finding writing work. I also entered a short story contest. Not because I like writing short stories specifically, although I do, but because I was intrigued by the weird rules. The rules were you had 24 hours to write a short story. The topic and length of story was revealed at the start of the 24 hours and you had to write, edit, and enter your story before the 24 hours elapsed. Now, that is a challenge. So I gave it a try. My first attempt and I placed 3rd. I won a little money $200.00 AND was published in their weekly newsletter. Check my story out at Writer's Weekly Magazine online.

Watch out Stephen King - I'm comin' for you. (wink wink!)  It should be noted I am a huge King fan and he cannot stop writing. His bizarre sense of  dark humor and metaphor is unmatched. I look forward to every new novel with great anticipation. I can only hope that someday I will have fans who have the same desire and excitement about my works.

Going Around In Circles - Circle of Life

Can't you just hear the soundtrack of Lion King playing in the background, and there at the top of the stairs holding up a puppy I am yelling "No don't you dare tinkle on the floor" as I limp down the stairs to the back door to let our Toy Fox Terrier outside. Trying not to trip over the shoes, bags, and rubble strewn everywhere as the end of year chaos begins its ascent.

Here the time of birthdays - mine and lots of family and friends, Mother's Day which was blissful and relaxing, and the end of school, Girl Scouts, and the beginning of plays, dance recitals and camp, my life is spinning quickly out of control. Currently, I have 7 dance costumes shedding sequin and sparkle in my living room. I've asked them to be removed to the bedroom and hung yet they remain on a chair in bags shedding their sparkle onto my carpet.

In the dining room stacks of new catalogs, flyers and order forms have married with flyers, certificates, notebooks and calendars as I plan next year for GS at the Service Unit Level. I did have a meeting with the whole Service Unit to discuss. I called the meeting to order, 1 person was in attendance, 1 person voted on the activities and 1 person wrote down everything and created the booklet. Same person....me.  Be sure though, there will be more than one opinion on what they do or don't like and lots of "I didn't get an e-mail. Or when was that meeting? Or I would have been there if I had known."  I did ask a couple times but life is a whirl for everyone.

We also have dance practice, but with a boot on for Achilles tendonitis there hasn't been much dancing. The play is this week, practice at random times for months has cumulated to practice all week for 3-1/2 hours each day. I shouldn't mind this, and I don't as much as the random practices leading up to it. I did drama. It was 3 months, 5 days a week, afterschool till the late bus until the last 2 weeks which were dress rehearsals till 6 p.m. with parent pick up. I drove then so I didn't realize how much went into it. I do now though. So, pick up at school, drop off at dance, and everything in between. Madness!! Yes madness!!

Then we have Girl Scouts ending. Lots of awards and trips and planning too. I'm quite ready for a break. And I'd plan one if only I had time.
'

The Home Party Biz!

As many of you know -- or don't -- I am a Thirty One Director. I love Thirty One and I love it even more as this amazing business that allowed me to leave that full time mind sucking job I used to have in order to do fun home parties instead. Who doesn't love a party right?? But with this lifestyle comes some challenges.

Mind you this is in NO WAY a complaint. Challenges for me are simply little hiccups that I'm trying to work out. For example, in my previous job, time management was never a challenge. There was an in box and out box. Work came in and I did it and put it in the out box and my assistant took it and she did what she needed to and then it got mailed or filed accordingly. It was seamless and the work steady and there was always busy work to do when the inbox emptied. For 27 years my life was run by that schedule. I didn't much have to think about it. It just was.

Now however, my day starts when I decide to start it. I don't have an inbox so I do what I feel like doing when I want to do it and OH MY GOODNESS - I think I may have ADD. Seriously, I am totally struggling with FOCUS. My inbox in my head is full of 27,000 things to do and never ever are they getting accomplished. I'm going along working on e-mails and my phone buzzes I check my messages, something opens in chat on FB, I check my feed, the phone rings, I chat and then it's lunch time and I sit and eat watch and episode of Law and Order, OH NO my daughter is walking in the door it's almost 3 p.m. YIKES, I wash up the dishes while she starts her homework, it's time to run to dance class, I get home and start dinner or go back in the office to try to salvage some of my day, I'm back at the computer on my e-mail deleting, sorting, need to go on my business site, check my toolbox and downline reports, need to get together a hostess packet, my husband and daughter are home from dance. HOLY CRIPES it's 7:00 p.m. No dinner is made, my hubby fixes it and I decide to make a few calls, I get 20 answering machines and it's 9 p.m. and I still didn't eat dinner. And I'm exhausted but not sure from what exactly. I feel I didn't get anything done. UGH.

That is no exaggeration either, my days are like that really. My friends and I joke that when we work the squirrel wearing a sequin suit dancing disco is such a distraction. You know what I mean, you are working and....ooooh shiny -- there goes that squirrel again. You are distracted.

So in an effort to ward of the squirrels, I've made some strides. Still we are in BETA but at least there is a program started. LOL.  So I made a very structured schedule. From wake up to bedtime I have a plan. Now, do I stick to the plan daily. Heck no. But, it's a structure a place to start and in box. And I am working this week to develop the inbox and reorganize the work space. I share my office with my sewing machine, Girl Scouts, and scrapbooking/crafting. And although all this means the world to me, my office needs to be an office, so over the next month we will be redistributing stuff throughout my house. Sewing machine will head to the guest bedroom. Crafting items are well stored in an awesome IKEA wall unit but the scrapbooking stuff is packed into 31 Large Utility Totes and they will go into the garage. My husband will sigh but it must happen. And all the office will be office and I can finally get things moving in a more professional less hobbyist manner.

One hurdle overcome.

What I love about home party business besides I get to party for a living. I work when I want to so my family can come first. I love the products. So adorable and affordable what's not to love. I can create my own income based on my drive, determination and desire. The other job had a glass ceiling. Hated that!  But best of all, my daughter adores what I do and participates actively in it. She loves helping at parties setting up my tables, working vendor fairs with me. We have truly bonded over 31 and we are so much closer for it. It's been a huge blessing to my family and me. I recommend it to everyone. Living your dreams is far more fun than Dreaming you Life!

Reflections

It is interesting how life comes at you from all angles and you seem to only have time to react to it. In that reaction however, seldom comes much notice to anything but exactly that moments needed and required attention. A day goes by with a series of knee jerk gut reactions and we fall into bed exhausted wondering where all the time went and how we managed to get nothing accomplished at all. My days for a few months have felt exactly this way. Recently, I've changed gears, slowed down and really focused on how to manage my time, life and crazy world and get more out of it. This journey led me back to God. Not that God was ever gone from me. I joke a little because I say always I'm not uber religious. But really I'm more than uber religious, I suppose what I should say is more I'm not an in your face, hard core zealot seeking to convert you and get you to speak in tongues while laying hands upon you and shouting Halleiluah at the top of my voice. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Actually, if not for that type of rowdy exciting congregation I certainly wouldn't have arrived at my current relationship with God and my constant fascination with world religions.
I loved my holy roller church and all those in it very much. My choice to leave many years ago was multi faceted but never about the people or the message, it was just time to journey on. God wasn't finished with me yet.

Here I am, writing this blog - okay marginally writing this blog. LOL for years while in a drawer sat a manuscript written in 2 days more than 128 pages that I struggled to edit and publish but that I knew needed to be and that God was urging me to get done. Yet, I kept procrastinating and God let me, adding to the story page upon page. I guess I hadn't found my way quite yet.

Well, I'm back to writing. Really writing. The past weeks have been spent learning to create schedules and to-do lists. It's laughable how bad I am at this. I have a team of women who do Thirty One with me and I am their director and we spend hours discussing lists and time management and I am such a fraud cause I never took my advice, choosing instead to live in the chaos I created.  Well, this week, I broke it down into bite sized portions, ate my own advice and created a weekly plan and to-do list that can be added to as things come up.  I have Monday - Me Day!! This is my writing day.  Tuesday To Do Day - This is working down that list and once a month this is my GS day.  Wednesday Woo Hoo Day - This is the day I do all my contact stuff for my 31 business for customers, hostesses and my team! Thursday is my Follow Thru Day - This day is about organizing, to do list, writing,  Friday is Freedom Day - This is about focus and intentional planning, doing that which is important be it to God, family or myself and Girl time for myself, my daughter, my friends, and my aunt.  Saturdays and Sundays are divided into work and family days every other week. Allowing 2 hours each day for work and writing.

I've been reading a lot. Fiction, self-help, bible, you name it. I belong to a book club so I have that looming each month, then I have something I'm reading that is just because. Stephen King is my guilty pleasure so I'm reading Doctor Sleep right now - the sequel to The Shining. I also am reading Prayer of Jabez and I'm on the hunt for the book club selection and I'm reading Mitch Albom's latest on my Nook. I'm a multi book reader always. The Prayer of Jabez, I initially read it only long enough to garner the prayer and basics and put it aside. Cool, got it, pray!

I pray the prayer daily. "Dear God, Bless me abundantly, Expand my territories, Keep your hand upon me and keep evil from me."  That's it! Simple, concise, easy to remember.  From this simple prayer, Jabez changed his life forever with blessings from God more numerous and profoundly reaching than Jabez could ever have imagined. This simple prayer is supposed to open your life to blessings so huge and wonderful. I was in, sign me up!! So I prayed and I did see blessings and doors opening and life changing but not exactly what I anticipated or hoped for. My plan was God would book me a bunch of parties and my business would expand and blow up and be amazing and I'd have a team of 1000's and I'd make a million dollars and life would be good and YAY GOD!! LOL.  That wasn't exactly how it happened though.

God did bless me and I was able to retire from my job that I hated - see previous posts for details on that delightfully horrid environment. It was great. Got to be there for the Bat Mitzvah Girl, my business was booming, so exciting. But daily, when I prayed I knew that I was missing a bigger picture. I kept thinking it was about the book I wrote that I needed to finish. Then this morning, I picked up that little Prayer of Jabez book and read it - really read it.  Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!!

So, yes pray and pray and pray and God will bless you and me and anyone who asks for His blessings. That is true and undeniable.  Little detail though is if you truly want HUGE blessings beyond your wildest imaginations, then you have to ask Him to work THROUGH you and Bless you so that you may bless others and share HIM through those blessings. AH HA!!  So yes, the book is part of it. No doubt and it is a priority but even there I struggled for I thought the story was about miracles, but I was writing it about me. Me - not so interesting, right??  But Miracles and God working in the lives of everyday people like me - real biblical miracles today and everyday?  Yes, that is far more compelling. So, today things are changing. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will hold.

And as for you my readers, and this little blog!! I've rededicated to writing weekly. I know - you must all be shocked. But it's on the new schedule and to do list. I feel like this is going to be great fun!!  Talk to you all again really soon!!