I mean in Paris, is someone all “Hey I’m going to see a foreign film this weekend?”

“Really, what?”

“The new Star Wars movie.”

If Hollywood movies are just movies in other countries what about our Indie movies, are those considered foreign films?

It seems a bit conceited to think that American movies are just movies all over the world. Other countries have huge thriving movie industries and make some really wonderful films.

So if you know the answer please let me know, ‘cause it really has me baffled.

For some unknown reason children’s networks are hiring misogynists and allowing them to create cartoons which tell little girls they show to be vapid boy-crazy drama queens.

It hasn’t always been this way.

Scooby Doo used to be a fun cartoon. Velma was book smart, and Daphne was creative and intelligent too. Yet in the new series Velma say to Daphne. “If you’re smart and pretty then what do I have?”

REALLY?

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT LITTLE GIRLS TO SEE? TO THINK IS OKAY? TO ASPIRE TO BE?

It wasn’t this way in the original show done in 1969!

The new Teen Titans, both the male and female characters are stupid, whiny, love-sick idiots. WHY? How does this help our kids?

And in the new Chipmunks show and movie, the girls—which are children and animals—are overtly sexualized.

And before you go dissing cartoons, consider:

Original Teen Titans

Phineas and Ferb

Kim Possible

Scooby Doo by Hanna Barbera

Avatar The Last Air Bender

Cartoons CAN entertain, they CAN inspire, and they CAN show intelligent thoughtful characters.

At this point I’m having my kids watch movies and TV shows on DVD because I refuse to have my kids think that the cartoon characters’ act is acceptable.

This grosses my personal children out. Girl child thinks all bodily fluids are disgusting. A few months ago when Squirt was teething he drooled on her a bit. I thought she was going to lose her mind.

I get drooled on all the time. I share food and drinks with Squirt. Girl child makes gagging sounds and Boy child, now studying to be an EMT, stands back wearing gloves.

He works with my organization and whenever he is working at one of the homes with small children he wears gloves almost the entire time. The children don’t wash their hands consistently after using the bathroom, and then they touch everything.

My kids are right, fluids aren’t safe. I should probably be more careful, but the little ones need connection. They already have attachment issues and being treated as a bio-hazard doesn’t help them.

This morning both of my own kids would have lost it. Squirt woke up with dried blood on his face from a bloody nose. I pick him up and, squish, he has leaked out of his diaper. His PJs are soaked and now so are mine. I bathe him, without gloves, and get him dressed before I change my clothes.

But what am I supposed to do? Freak out every time a toddler leaks something onto me? I do use gloves for older kids’ fluids and for poop, ’cause gross, but even though I am aware it’s not safe, there is an illusion of the toddlers not being infectious.

Just so we’re clear, I do wash my hands dozens of times I day; my skin looks like the Crypt Keeper.

What do you think, am I crazy?

Dandelions can grow anywhere. They are bright and cheerful. They help make wishes come true. Their leaves can be eaten and their roots are used in herbal medicine. Dandelions are wonderful and versatile plants.

I have friends who are dandelions, who I admire and strive to be like. They post things like: Today was rough I’ve caught the flu, vomiting, coughing, and a fever of 103. I took some medicine which made my head feel all foggy but I managed to write 2500 words, cook pot roast for dinner, wash, dry, and fold three loads of laundry, and cleaned the kitchen. Going to bed early and hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow so I can catch up on my to-do list! 

I admire these dandelion people, I want to be like them, but I’m not. When I get sick my brain shuts down. I can’t think, let alone write. My body needs sleep, lots and lots of sleep to get better. Because I’m a professional foster parent, my time off is when the kids are in school, which means I sleep all day, take a quick shower before school lets out, then all my energy and focus is on the kids, making sure I don’t forget homework, meds, or appointments.

Even if I take medicine, I can’t muster the energy, focus and determination of a dandelion.

In order to grow and bloom, an orchid must have everything just so — the right amount of light, water, the soil in perfect orchid balance. They will not bloom if these conditions aren’t met.

If I eat the wrong thing, don’t drink enough water, stay up too late, don’t get enough exercise, or have too much emotional/stressful things happening I don’t work right. My brain and body shut down. I can’t think well enough to write. Sleeping becomes my number one goal and it takes careful, intentional, and determined choices to bring myself back into balance.

There are times I get depressed and seriously pissed off that I can’t be a dandelion. That I’m so delicate and fragile. It makes me feels less than. And yes, I’m not ‘supposed’ to compare myself to others. But when we all have colds and I’m the only one sleeping sixteen hours a day, it’s hard not to.

I want to be able to grab food from wherever and be fine. I want to be functional on four hours of sleep after having a major writing session that lasted long into the night. I want to be able to feel safe driving when I’m sick or tired. I wish I didn’t start sliding into depression if I miss a few days of exercise.

I wish I was a dandelion.

But I’m not.

I’m an orchid, and if I ever want to bloom I’m going to have to be consistent with my self-care. I’m going to have to make sure that everything is ‘just so’ every day. I also have to stop seeing this as a failure, stop seeing me as a failure, and start honoring who I really am, an orchid.

I look everywhere. I look as long as I can, but I have to leave.

I go upstairs to change and ask hubby to come down and cut the padlocks on the med boxes so they can be accessed.

Then I unhook my bra and crash, the keys fall to the floor.

These are not a small amount of keys, they fill my hand. And yet, I lost them for forty-five minutes in my bra.

0_o

Where is the strangest place you’ve found your keys?

If you go to the BOOKS page you can see the cover and read the blurb for Heirs of Avalon, Children of Fire Book 3.

Also, I have a FREE BOOK!

One day my critique group asked me how Kayin got from Zimbabwe to San Francisco in six months. My answer, “on an airplane,” didn’t make them happy, so I wrote his story. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Kayin’s life before he meets Sapphire in Phoenix Child.

Kayin’s Fire: A Children of Fire Novella

Children of Fire come into their Phoenix powers on their fifteenth birthday. For some, the change is celebrated. Kayin wakes to a nightmare. His black curls have turned bright red, and fire dances in his eyes. His mother, convinced that he’s become a demon, casts him out of his village in Zimbabwe.

Feeling confused, scared, and abandoned, Kayin is saved by other Children of Fire, who take him into their family. He learns to control his power, adjusts to the energy and excitement of New York City, and copes with his desire to return to the home he loves.

You can get this novella FREE by joining my newsletter, Alica’s Emails of Awesome, by clicking this link:  http://eepurl.com/bc5bzn .
I promise to send only a few emails a month, and each one will have something fun, a update about my books, or prizes to win!

I’m not sure when or where this need to make fun of myself in an attempt to justify my imperfections came about. I do know it’s hurtful and I want to stop.
How do you talk to/about yourself?

My daughter and I with all the noms.

As a kid I always saved my favorite part of my meal for last. I wanted the yummiest tastes to be the last on my tongue.
I still do this, and it has taken me 41 years to realize this leads to overeating.
Now of course since I am serving myself, I like everything on my plate, but there is still a hierarchy of yumminess. Salad, broccoli with garlic, homemade mac n’ cheese. So if I eat all my veggies and feel full I can promise you that I will eat the mac n’ cheese anyway. Seriously, will power isn’t my thing.
So what would happen if I ate my favorite food first? Would I be more likely to stop eating when I was full? Could I pack the rest into a container for later?
I think this I’m going to try this. I’ll go ahead and pick the yummiest bits and eat them first and hope that will mean I can stop eating when I am full instead of stuffing myself.
What do you eat first?

Brie, so yummy

I love cheese, real cheese that comes in blocks and has a rind. Cheese that smells pungent with a strong taste that would make kids gag.
So why does the fake orange cheese always look so good? Plastic cheese sauce for nachos. ‘Cheese’ powder for boxed macaroni and chips.
What is it about that shade of orange that makes my mouth water?
I know it’s not real food.

Photo by Mike Mozart

I know it’ll make my stomach hurt and give me a headache. And yet I want it whenever I see it.
It’s addictive.
Do you too long for the fake orange ‘cheese’?

Photo by Jenny Kaczorowski

Okay so it’ll need a better name, but the idea is amazing!
I want to have a café I can go to when I was feeling depressed. Because sometimes you just can’t stand your home for one more minute, or you want to be around people but not have to talk to them, or you need a safe place to just be.
So this café will have a Quiet Room with soft squishy couches, papasan chairs, and places to curl up. You can be on your computer, read, write, or just zone out. The colors will be soft and inviting. There will be buttons to call for a waitress so no one talks to you unless you want them to.

Photo by Ryan Gessner

There is also be an You Can Do The Thing Room where there will be realistic and cute quotes of inspiration, still comfy places to sit, but also desks and tables with more serious firmer chairs. The colors will be brighter and servers will check in with you to offer food and drink or advice/sounding board/ handholding.
There will be books in both rooms where people can offer advice to how they take care of themselves, or work themselves out of their darker periods. Books where people can write secrets to get them off their chests. Book where people can post poems, pictures of their art, and stories so others can leave encouraging feedback and constructive criticism (if you want it).
The menu will offer foods and drinks that nurture your body and mind, fruits, salads, healthy proteins and teas. And those that nurture your soul: cakes, rich sweet drinks, and cheese carbs.
This is a needed place. It’s awkward to call a friend and say, “Hey I’m in a dark place. Can I come over and read on your couch, but please don’t talk to me. I don’t want to be social, but if I stay in my house for one more minute, I might lose my mind.”
So please someone make this a thing, so I have a place to hang out.
What would you add to this café?