The Brooklynn Factor - Homework

The Dog Next Door

The dog next door is driving us mad! My husband gets home from work around 4 a.m., and it begins non-stop barking around 6 a.m., which wakes him up early every day. We have tried speaking with the neighbors, but were told to “buy some earplugs”. What I do not understand, is that the dog barks mostly when they are gone. Anyway, after a couple months of this non-stop barking, my husband is literally ready to shoot the dog. I know this sounds terrible, but how much sleep can one lose before losing their mind! We are not dog haters, we own a small dog, but we respect our neighbors enough not to let it just sit outside and bark, and bark, and bark! So, I call animal control who then points-out that we need to call the sheriff’s department. I call them, and they say call animal control. Finally, in a moment of desperation, I say to the deputy I was speaking with during one of these calls, “Well, if the dog comes in our yard, we have the right to shoot it, correct?” His reply stunned me. He informed me the only right we had to shoot the dog, even if it was on our property, was if it was actually in the process or beginning to attack. We could be held liable if it was not under these circumstances. I should mention here that the dog is huge and has actually bit a neighborhood boy before, and we have a five year old. When I explained this to the deputy he said that it did not matter, we still did not have the right to do anything if the dog came into our yard unless it literally attacked or attempted to attack. Is that not crazy! Have they not heard of the string of stories of young children being killed by a dog attack? It is a shame that we live in a world where a dog has more rights than a person. It is even more shameful that a neighbor is so inconsiderate of those around him, because that is where the real blame lays. Anyone ever have the joy of having such an inconsiderate neighbor? How did you get it resolved? We are currently keeping a “barking log” so that we can hire a lawyer…for a dog!

The Brooklynn Factor - Too Much T.V.

Thank You Santa For Sharing Your Magic

The sweet face I get after humming!

Although I believe children are a direct sign that God has not yet given-up on mankind, I also feel they were sent by God to drive us insane and teach us some important lessons. I do believe he must chuckle at us as parents quiet often . Sometimes, my little 5 year old blessing can run her chops like she pays the bills! That is why I absolutely love this time of year! For three months, I know I will not have to tolerate any misbehaving or disrespect dealt-out by my child. Oh, what a relief! It is like being on vacation! What is my secret? Well, every time I begin to see her behavior diminish and feel a meltdown is on the way, I just begin humming Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It works every time! It is truly magical to watch. If she is giving me a hard time about going to bed or getting dressed for school, I just calmly begin busying myself, in ear-shot, and start humming. I do not have to hum much before she runs into the room and says sweetly, “I’m ready for bed now mommy.” The pouts and anger gone without a trace. There is no threats, no restrictions, and my blood pressure does not shoot-up because of the stress incurred from a mental battle with a stubborn five year old. Those of you with children know exactly what I am referring to when I say “mental battle”, and it can be exhausting! So, I know Christmas is for kids, and it is widely believed that kids are the ones who believe in Santa, but I am stating as an adult that “yes” I believe in Santa too! Furthermore, I think he gives me the greatest gift any parent could ever want. Thank you Santa for sharing your Santa magic!

Lemons Into Lemonade

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Maybe we do not see this reasoning in the heat of the moment, but eventually I believe it comes to pass. Sometimes we can look at our most difficult times from the past and connect some type of positive outcome to the event. My life is a true example of this philosophy. Therefore, I really try to remain calm when things go awry and begin looking for the positives from the negatives. I sell Avon and have been really trying to grow my business to help cover tuition costs. When placing my last order, late at night, I ordered 30 brochures for my customers. Imagine my surprise when my order came and I realized I had somehow mistakenly ordered 300! At first I was upset over my error, but then I realized this was a great opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. So…my plan is to hit the town and give out every single one of those brochures, which would surely grow my business. Hmm…maybe this is the universe attempting to give me what I want. I have watched the Secret, and it specifically mentions that not only must you put out in the universe what you want, but also act on the opportunities it presents. So my reasoning that I received those 300 brochures is directly related to the power of attraction and not due to any fault of my own. That’s my story, and I am sticking to it!

Original Art - Blue Bamboo - Only one in existence!

Blue Bamboo

 Brooklynn loves to draw, paint, and sculpt. When she saw mommy trying many different ways to raise money for my tuition, which is due this January, she came-up with the most precious way to help. She said, "Mommy I know how to help you raise money! We can have an art show and sell my drawings!" I could not help but to be both amused and touched at her sincerity. She asked me, "Where could we have a show mommy so everyone can see them?" Well...I thought for a moment and ebay came to mind. Therefore, I opened up an ebay account, and her artwork is now listed on ebay's auction sight for sale. She is ecstatic being able to see it there, and we have actually had 3 people view it so far. I realize it probably will not sell, but how could I refuse her help? Anyway, I am thinking of loading-up some stored toys and clothes to clean out some closets around here. You can view it on ebay if you want, but only for the next seven days. Who knows, she may just luck out and sell it! The item number is  220878733219 if you are a fan of ebay and would like to see it. She gets real excited about how many views her art gets! Well worth the 75 cent listing fee.

The Artist hard at work

Night of the Living Dead

Okay, so she wanted to be a ghost. Last year it was a bug, and the year before a frog. The problem is I could only find one ghost costume that was white, her requirement, and it had a mask that completely covered her head. I know my child, and I know she will not be able to tolerate this type of mask on Halloween as she is trick-or-treating. In addition, I also did not like the idea of her wearing a mask at night. After a trip to a couple of stores, presto! We have a ghostly looking bride thingy complete with a blonde wig! This is a trial run before the big event to see how everything works. Although my husband and I thinks she reminds us of the little zombie girl on Night of the Living Dead, she's happy and that is all that matters, right? Maybe one year, before she outgrows Halloween altogether, she will want to be something prissy and cute. I am happy, however, to settle for something dead this year instead of bugs and reptiles.

The Three Most Important Lessons in Life

I felt it was important to share some of my recent history before sharing current tidbits of my crazy life so others can attempt to understand my attitude in how I view my life today. I look back and wonder sometimes how I survived the last 6-7 years with my sanity intact. I understand now that one cannot only survive heartbreak and misery, but actually learn from it as well. I did not share these very personal details to induce empathy from others, however, there are far more people who have came through much more than I and survived. I do want you to realize that trials and tribulations are a large part of life. Life is what it is, but will be what you make it. Losing my mother in such a horrible manner could have destroyed me. The birth of my miracle was unplanned, and it pushed me over the edge financially. Losing my business that I tenderly grew and loved crushed my spirit. These crazy, unforeseen events changed my life forever. Yet…I not only survived, but learned valuable lessons from each one. Through the death of my mother, I learned not to take life for granted. Say and do what you feel compelled to do today because you may not get another chance! Remember my flowers I never got to send? Love the people around you today, they may not be here tomorrow and you do not want regret knocking on your door. Through the birth of my daughter, I learned what is really important in life and the true meaning of love. She continues to teach me still today with little lessons along the way. Her birth directly resulted in my transformation from a selfish person to who I am today. Take time to look at the bigger picture, it is not just all about you. The loss of my business taught me that my success in life is not measured in how many times I fall, but how many times I get back up and keep going to try again. With this thought in mind, we are invincible. Through trials and tribulations, I feel fortunate that I have learned what I consider the three most valuable lessons in life. Some people never learn these, and they are the ones who deserve the empathy.

My Miracle Arrives

My doctor decided to induce labor on Friday, April 28, 2006. It seems I had a narrow pelvis, and I had stressed to him that I could not afford the down time a cesarean would incur. I checked into the hospital at 5 a.m. and began the labor process. I really do believe pitocin, which is the drug the used to induce my labor, comes straight from the devil. My labor pains were unforgettable, especially after they broke my water. At 6:12 p.m., my daughter came into this world. She was perfect in every way imaginable. I was not prepared for the pure love that spilled from my heart as I held her in my arms for the first time with tears constantly rolling down my cheeks. She looked-up at me with wide open eyes, and I realized this precious 6.7 lb being was the miracle I had asked God for after my mother’s death. Needless to say, she changed my world forever. I went home that Sunday in awe that the hospital was really going to let me keep her. I had planned to take about three weeks off from the shop, which I was still trying to salvage, before returning to work. However, I called the shop early that following Monday morning and did not get an answer. After several attempts to get in contact with the little ding-bat that suppose to be there, I packed-up my three day old miracle and took her to work with me. I decided that day I would close the shop down and take my losses. Children have the unique ability of prioritizing your life. It was the best decision I had ever made. The stress-relief from not dealing with this problem on a daily basis made me wonder why I had not decided this sooner. If it was not for my little miracle, I probably would have driven myself crazy by vainly trying to save this sinking ship.

Still Alive

Fortunately, my husband did not kill me. In fact, we both started to get pretty excited as the pregnancy progressed. The pregnancy was uncomplicated, and I sailed through it while still working about ten hours a day in the shop. I was under tremendous stress from the shop financially and constantly worried about money and the lack of it. Still…I was looking forward to our new addition, which seemed to melt the walls that had been between my husband and I since my mother’s death. Also, it was bittersweet when I thought of mom never holding her grandchild, and her grandchild never meeting her. From early in the pregnancy, I knew we were going to have a little girl. This was confirmed at our 20 week ultrasound, and I was ecstatic! I felt this would be my only child, and I cherished each milestone and etched it into my mind so I would always remember every minute detail. Considering I had never wanted children, I felt I was doing pretty good.