thestorkandthebeanstalk.com

; the little patch of grass that filled what was once a pool covered with rusted scooters, broken skateboards, pots I’ve washed out with intentions to put plants in that still sit inside our living room slowly dying, an upside down plastic pool that I’m quite certain all three boys have pissed in at one point or another. And that’s just the grass area, never mind the makeshift side yard fence that I’m always nervous Jimmie will get through, the beach umbrella that has been carried by recent storms from one end of the yard to the other, the random holes where worms have been vacated from their homes. Like I’m barely filling cups as it is – both literally (as in they drink all their milk before I even put the milk away) and figuratively. Most days, I’m just treading water; hoping plants don’t die before we get a chance to pot them, making sure the good bikes are inside when it rains so they don’t rust, and making sure there’s enough milk in the fridge to get us through the next morning.

A photo journal comprised of my thoughts on motherhood and other life happenings, as well as some of professional work as a photographer. I had to change a few lines so they better applied to my own life, but man, I’m trying to make this my daily morning read. And I can find no serenity until I accept That person, place, thing, or situation Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy.

The other day my mom told me Hooper’s golf coach gave him a ride in the golf cart while all the other kids walked and justified it, in front of Hooper and the other kids in the class, because Hooper was ‘too skinny’ and couldn’t afford to lose calories walking. Hooper overheard me the other day describing him as a baby being ‘skinny’ and immediately upon hearing the word ‘skinny’ turned to me and said, ‘I’m not skinny’ in-such-a-way that proved he’s only beginning to become aware of this new label and making sense of it. But she makes a ridiculously important point in that we ought to respect when others don’t want to touch us or show affection and not make it about hurt feelings. I mean describing Hooper as skinny is synonymous with describing his hair as blond; it’s nothing more than a characteristic trait.

•They are mostly religious because religious rituals foster feelings of safety in a dangerous world such that the most dangerous countries in the world are also the most religious
(1). •They tend to be more hostile to immigrants, foreigners, and racial or ethnic minorities and to view them as more of a threat. •They fear attacks by other nations and therefore support a strong military and a bellicose foreign policy on the theory that a good attack is the best defense. •Apart from military defense, where government is an asset, conservatives fear government intrusions into their lives and particularly fear having their wealth eroded by taxation.