Warm Me Up
Happy Friday peeps! It’s supposed to be another cold one today and snow too. My kids are wishing with all their might for a snow day and I spent the better part of the evening explaining that doing homework was a a safer bet since I’m praying there is no snow day. Ah, the wish/prayer weather counter clash.Either way I wish I had this coat to warm me up. Doesn’t she look wonderful. I hope it’s warm where you are. I’m about tired of freezing.
Pic from the Satorialist
And thanks for your sweet comments on the My Space feature yesterday. You all warm me considerably.
Best,
KwanaUPDATE: 2 hour school snow delay so both win I guess.
Harlem Heights
The other day I was in Harlem over at Nana’s house hanging with her for a bit when I looked out the kitchen window and was struck by the beauty of the view of the back park and the turning of the leaves. This is the same 15th floor view that I grew up with so I’ve seen it all my life but it’s been quite a while since I really looked at it.
On this rainy day I remembered being a kid and always in awe over how Nana could yell so clearly from so hi up and make her voice carry that far down to tell me it was time to come in. Her voice one of so many woman with their eyes peering keeping careful watch of the children in their care. Playtime over. Must come in before the streetlights come one. Besides dinner’s ready and we’re hungry. The old back park has been remolded a few times over since I was a kid playing kick the can, but the heart of it is still the same I’d guess. Well at least I hope.Best,
KwanaMe Time
What’s Jack up to? Jack’s chilling after a fine weekend and being Just Jack. After a pretty dreary Saturday the sun came out on Sunday and Jack out in nice long walk with his buddy Bentley then just chilled and chilled some more. Oh the life.I had an odd weekend. Not odd really, but odd for me. Got to steal a little time for myself which is so very necessary to my sanity every once in a while.I found myself alone (well not quite, there were 2 other in need of peace moms there) in the movies. I was doing a little mom therapy and seeing Whip It which I just loved and highly recommend. A total girl power movie with tons of coolness and a rocking soundtrack. It also has the added bonus of being sweet as pie.Then I ended up on the West Side going to celebrate a friends B-day. Man there are lots of much younger peeps out having loads of fun at all hours. I’d almost forgotten that world. But still I adore NYC at night. It’s so in my blood, so home.
How was your weekend? Did you get in any U time?Best,KwanaMulti-Multi Tasking
What’s Jack up to? Jack is being Jack. A little bossy, a little cute, so very Jack. Keeping me on my toes.
It’s early Monday, well, late Sunday night as I’m writing this and already I’m overwhelmed with the family schedule this week. Not just this week, this year really. As women we are the keepers of the schedules. Ours and everyone else’s. Annoyingly, I found myself taking unnecessarily drives this weekend to classes that didn’t happen because I didn’t have a teen’s schedule memorized in my head. Not that said teen should not have had their own schedule down. Sigh.
To make things just that more nutty, I’m already thinking ahead to the new year. January and February. So much so that the beautiful months of October and November are getting lost in the shuffle as just pages I’m flipping on the calender.
And in all of this I’m terribly afraid of dropping the ball. That my whole house of cards will come tumbling down from all my multi-tasking.
Knock Knock. Is it just me knocking at this door? Think I need a cup of tea and a moment to think about this.
Oh and thanks to Prof Melissa Harris-Lacewell on twitter for pointing me in the direction of this article from The Huffington Post on the ever growing unhappiness of women and and multi-tasking. A longtime sign of the times.
Best,
KwanaOh Juniors!
What’s Jack up to? My little Jack will be one confused dog today. No doubt, pacing back and forth barking at everyone that dares to pass by our little house as he looks for the teen twins that have left him this morning.
Yep, it’s the first day of school today. No doubt I’ll have embarrassed the teen twins and taken the first day of school picture on the porch.The first day of junior year. Wow. That is so unbelievable to me. Just thinking about it puts a weight on my chest. Once again I want to pull out that STOP sign. There must be a trick being played on me. Time really can’t be going this fast. My children can’t be this age. Not these babies that I used to be able to hold both in one arm. Now, well, now I’m lucky if I can hold onto a conversation with them for longer than a few moments. Sigh.
Lord, where? How? It’s seems I’m a mother grasping. Trying to grab a bit of the past as they run chasing after the future as fast as they can. They will get their future. It’s coming. So so quick, I know, but they don’t know quicker than they need.
But I get a bit of the past too. In the ever so brief hug when you think I’m joking as I grab you and say, I love you while laughing as you try and run by. Or after the terrible fight as I hold you to my breast and still say I love you and smell your hair it’s still the same. You see the past is still there. You are still my babies. Deep down always.
Oh my Juniors. Do well. Much love, Mom.
Best,
KwanaSTOP
I’m feeling as busy all get out right about now. One of those nutty, I need lists and my lists need lists kind of busy and a few extra hours in the day in order to get some sleep and still I will forget something kind of busy.You know how it is. Tis the season and all. School will be starting in just a few days so I’m feeling like Santa, though not quite as jolly making my list and checking it twice. All during my broken sleep.I thought I’d be totally ready and yes, I am so ready to have my house back and get back into a set writing routine, but I do know all the wildness that the school year brings not to mention my Dear Twins junior year. Part of me just wants to scream right now. STOP!
Best,KwanaYes
What’s Jack up to? Right now Jack’s chilling on the couch. You know, in his usual spot. Nothing new there. I’m happy for that.Things are a crazy right now over in Kwana land and I’m feeling the need for a break at the end of this very intense and non-rest filled summer. You know me, I try to keep it real, well as real as I can on a public blog, but in reality there is quite a thick filter on this here blog. Come on, I wouldn’t want to scare polite company away with the constant stream in my head.But as I was saying. I’m feeling the need for a break this week. I’ll have a few pics and videos up. Feel free to comment if you like I’ll be checking in on the Crackberry, And please enjoy these last days of summer. Share them with those you love.Right now while every fiber of my being is saying NO, I’m going to do the opposite and say YES. Or at least try really hard. I know there is still so much more that’s required of me. I hope today that you too have a spirit of YES in whatever you do.Best,
KwanaHeart of Glass
Growing up I had a small lavender room that was really the dining alcove converted into my bedroom. It was tiny, but I was thrilled to have it and be on my own and out of the room away from my little brothers. I had a fabulous view of the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River that I now know I didn’t appreciate enough.On the wall facing me was life sized poster of Prince (Le sigh) and on the wall behind me was another life sized poster of Debbie Harry.I also had a cassette player and radio and a pair of headphones that was my lifeline next to my cool circular phone. Music is during these formative years I think just about as important as the books we read. It somehow creeps into our soul and makes us a bit of who we’ll later become. What ideas and ideals we’ll have about life, love, romance, sex is echoed in the music we love. And now that I write that I have to say it does matter what our kids listen too or at least how they process it.
All art that’s put out for human consumption whether through the eyes, ears or mouth matters when it touches the soul. Once it does that it makes a change.
I wonder now how much the playing and replaying of Parallel Lines had on my later relationships.How much the playing of what my kids are listening to now will have on them later?And we won’t even go there with Dirty Mind. Oh Prince. Thanks so much!
Best,
KwanaMemorials
Yesterday when the family was going to pick Nana up to bring her back for a visit we decided to drive by the Apollo theater to see the marquee with the the memorial to Michael Jackson. We had heard on the news about all the folks who had come gathered there as soon as the news of Michael’s death got out. Well, it didn’t seem that the days break slowed the tide.
There was still many people gathered and music being played. Like everyone, when I first heard I was shocked and saddened. Like I said yesterday, he was my first crush. What I was not prepared for was how upset my DD would be over the news. I mean she’s a whole generation behind me. How can this be? Well, she was almost inconsolable. My good friend, her God mother, who was also a HUGE fan eventually got her smiling with stories of how the two of us once dressed in our Thriller outfits to go out to the movies and we thought we were soooo cool. I had not shared that with the DD:)
In the end the DD and I got out of the car as my DH double parked. We signed the makeshift memorial cardboard to say our own goodbyes and thanks to Michael for giving us music and memories that touched both our hearts.
Best,
KwanaPins and Needles
What’s Jack up to? Jack is being Jack just amped up a notch with the kids on high level with it being the end of the school year. So he’s extra snappy since they are snapping at him. All this is making for a snippy snappy house. Eeeee.I have to say like Jack I’m a little on pins a needles. Trying to get used to it being the end of the school year and still on worry alert as I wait to see how the school year will end. This has the mind racing with plans for the summer and how that will all wash out. Which then brings me into the Fall. Yep, that’s me. Summer hasn’t started and I’m already into the Fall.I really must work on living in the moment but I’ve never been a particularly good at that. I’m always five steps ahead in my mind with all the scenarios that go with it.I admire those that don’t do this. Those that can turn a problem over in their mind ponder it then let it go even if it’s not resolved or can’t be. I know there is a secret to peace somewhere in there. But you have to be able to do it authentically and until then… I’ll be on pins and needles.Best,KwanaImage:Madame Bovary: “Emma”John Archibald Austen (British, Kent 1886 – 1948 Kent)Black ink over graphite; sheet: 4 3/8 x 4 3/8 in. (11.1 x 11.1 cm)
