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Happy Solstice
Today is Madeleine's birthday. I thought about doing one of those tribute essays (like this one last year), but the more I write here, the more I feel like I'm drawing sharper distinctions between what's acceptable fodder for public viewing and what stays tucked away. Stuff about me and my guts and my brain and my insecurities? Free reign. Stuff my kids do that make me totally freaking insane? Sure. But the stuff I hold back, that's some stronger stuff. How I really feel about my husband and my kids has become very private. Things that have happened in my past that are ugly and hard are also cut. So I've eliminated the beautiful and the ugly, and all you get is the 4th place finisher for 9th Grade Class Secretary. The middle stuff. Hm. I don't know how I feel about that. I guess it's forcing me to write better?
But some hard thinking on that is going to have to wait.
I've gotta stuff a dinosaur pinata full of gum and crappy whistles. Wish my little Tiny a Happy Birthday, if you stop by. She'll be the one windmilling her arms, trippin on chocolate and glee.
Updated to add: I gave Madeleine a choice and she picked this as the song of the day.
But some hard thinking on that is going to have to wait.
I've gotta stuff a dinosaur pinata full of gum and crappy whistles. Wish my little Tiny a Happy Birthday, if you stop by. She'll be the one windmilling her arms, trippin on chocolate and glee.
Updated to add: I gave Madeleine a choice and she picked this as the song of the day.
posted by Mignon at 10:14 AM
MIGNON! You are so BEAUTIFUL!!! Your smile could make me cry. STOP doing such sweet, sappy, out of character things like smiling at me looking so gorgeous. I've seen your photos before. This photos is,,,oh damn you woman. This is what mothers look like. Confident, loving, BEAUTIFUL mothers and sexy wives,,,,,,where is the phone number to the hair salon? I'm going to get that same exact hair cut, RIGHT NOW.
Nice photo in photo. Happy birthday Mignon's Tiny!
Happy birthday, Madeleine!
You've got your mama's smile. Lucky girl!
Happy Birthday, Madeleine! You picked an excellent song of the day. I like CSN so much I briefly considered naming one of our kids Nash after Graham Nash.
Happy Birthday, Madeleine! You picked an excellent song of the day. I like CSN so much I briefly considered naming one of our kids Nash after Graham Nash.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Madeleine!
I love the pic, the pic in the pic and the song. :)
I too want to wish Madeleine a happy birthday.
It's your thoughts on writing that caught my attention, though. I think your writing is awesome, and I would like to see you doing more of it like I think I need to be doing more of it. But not here, though. I respect the need for these boundaries. I don't blog about my family much. I don't blog about much of anything, much. Somewhere, however, there is a place for you, and me, to write about the other stuff. The not-middle, beautiful-ugly, stuff. And to not be so afraid of it. Write that stuff. You need to. So do I.
I see that in this picture.
Happy, happy (belated) birthday Madeleine!!!
Happy birthday to your beautiful girl.
One of my favorite pictures of yours is that one with her scowling with the black eye, but this one is a close second.
Beautiful photo of you and Madeleine!
Now... this is late because I should have commented yesterday. So anyway, bring Madeleine over to the computer screen. Is she there yet? O.K. This is for her:
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HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, MADELEINE! I hope you got all the best stuff out of the piñata, and I hope you had a great birthday party with tons of fun and funny presents.
You have perfect taste in music; thanks for reminding me how much I liked that song. That's all. Hugs and xxx from Ortizzle. :-)
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On writing: we write what we feel the need to write, but I think it's also normal to censor what we put out there for all the world to read. Or as Monica Dickens, one of my favorite writers of humor, wrote in her autobiography: "I have never written about the deeply personal feelings I have for my husband and children. Some things are just... too close to home." Not her exact words, and I didn't understand them at the time I read them, but I do now. It's a personal choice, in any case. The main thing is to keep on writing.
Just don't stop keeping us entertained: I need my weekly quota of giggles, snorts and snickers.
You are one hot Montana mama. So hot that I want to blow a crappy whistle!
Happy Belated to Madeleine. Mimi is just about a month younger (she turns 5 on January 26th.) Isn't this a great age?