Please tell me ... you have heard of Demis Roussos, or Aphrodite’s Child?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV7X5tPt6wc

A few nights ago I woke up and clearly heard inside my (crazy) head ‘Goodbye my love, good bye’ .... it was haunting me, because just that day I had found out that a friend of mine had died.
She passed away after her second bout with cancer ... she was an awesome person that was my son’s teacher during his ‘gifted program’ from age 7 till 12. She taught me how to deal with my son. Not many people realize, but gifted children can have a very hard time socializing and are often lonely and difficult.

Somehow the song seemed to have something to do with her, yet I didn’t understand the connection. Wasn’t that a lovesong? When I listened to it and looked up the lyrics I realized this song could have a totally different meaning.

When I was a teenager I remember having a major crush on this handsome man. He was born in Egypt, till his family moved back to Greece. Demis was in a band ‘Aphrodite’s Child and his voice wasn’t discovered till the lead-singer took a break and asked him to sing a few songs.
Demi became an immediate hit in Europe after that. Young girls like myself carried a major crush on his dark, wild look.
His music carries the influence of the Middle East and Greece  combined and his voice is haunting.

So now I am in the USA and NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT HIM?

I went on the internet and found a lot of his music ... the old videos have poor quality, but several seem to have been redone and still make chills come down my spine . So much passion!!

The man is grey now, his voice slightly trembles, but he still sings.
Some of my favorites .....

‘Good-bye my love, good-bye’
‘Forever and ever’
‘My friend the wind’
‘Follow me’

And with Aphrodite’s Child ...’ Rain and tears’

~~~~~~~~~

And here are the lyrics to the song ‘Follow me’

Follow me to a land across the shining sea

Waiting beyond the world that we have known

Beyond a world we dreamed could be

And the joy we have tasted

Follow me along the road where only love can see

Rising above the fully of the night

Into the light beyond the tears

And all the years we have wasted

Follow me to a distant land as mountain high

Where all the music that we always kept inside will fill the sky

Singing in the silence where the heart's real

While the world goes on turning, turning

Turning, follow me

Follow me to a land across the shining sea

Rising above the fully of the night

Into the light beyond the tears

And all the years we have wasted

Follow me to a distant land as mountain high

Where all the music that we always kept inside will fill the sky

Singing in the silence where the heart's real

While the world goes on turning, turning

Turning, follow me

Take my hand

And we'll find the land

Beyond the shining sea

Follow me

Thank God, the BUSH is back!

So they took away my furry snacks and my giant litter box. 

They expect me to aim all my shit into this 1' X 11/2' stinky shit-hole. 

My sunbathing days are over!!!   And even if I am lucky enough to find some weak rays that come through these ‘special windows’, I have to knock off all this crap to find a place to curl up.

But hey ... I will quit bitching for now ... 

Thank God .... the yearly bush is back!

I would ring my Christmas bells for you ... but they cut them off (it had something to do with that stinky shit-hole I kept missing). But how am I supposed to know that those rainy stalls they shower in ....  and those flower-pots are not for ME to use?

I know, I know ... I said I would stop bitching ... for now 

Red Shoes

Some days I share details from my work with you, today is one of those days.
Tomorrow we will go back to perving!


In case you are new to my blog, this is a follow-up on a previous blog.


One of the children in my preschool/daycare is four years old and functions at the level of a two-year-old. Except, the two-year-old's are starting to pass him by. His mother had ignored my ‘hints’ that we might have a problem. As a qualified Montessori teacher I do know that the little ones develop at their own speed, but in this case the child is having many problems.


1. Low self-esteem, I keep hearing ‘I can’t’
2. He doesn’t really play
3. He still doesn't recognize any symbols (alphabet and numbers), even though we work on them daily. My two-year-olds are remembering some of them.
4. Concepts of ‘same and different’ and ‘bigger and smaller’ ... he can’t see it, not even in concrete form.


A few weeks ago I had a serious talk with Mom and she agreed that something needs to be done.


She tearfully hugged me before she left and thanked me. The next day she asked me NOT to talk about this problem with her husband, since he always overreacts. So I have not mentioned it to him.


Today I brought up the subject once more with Mom. Nothing seemed to be happening and he is not doing well.


She was very defensive this time, brought up some ‘clever’ things that the boy had said and done. Funny thing was, these were things I had just read to him in a book. 


I noticed he has no imaginary world, so I am ‘playing with him’ doing make-believe. The mother didn’t believe that he had no imaginary world, because the other day he saw a red light in the sky and mentioned it was Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer. I explained to her that we just read that book and I TOLD THE KIDS to watch for that red light.


To make an already long story short, she explained to me that testing him would put a label on him. She also told me, she shared this with ONE person, a lady she works with and this person told her, her son was probably fine, not to worry about it. 


That was all she needed to back out? She is more worried about ‘labels’ than helping her child?
Also, they still don’t have time to READ to him yet he loves books. I have hundreds of books and I read a few every day.
I told her she could borrow my books any time.


I am frustrated with this..... 
The rest of my young crew is brilliant. We sing songs in English, German, French and Dutch. We do lots of special projects for the Holidays.


My three-year-olds are recognizing some words! My two-year-old's have rap-sessions while going potty. Potty-training two kids at the time is fun! I have no idea how the rapping got started, and they only do this while going on their little potties. 


So yes, my place is still a happy place, and the ‘troubled child’ is not troubled, yet I am! I wish I could help him better.


Okay, now you are still wondering ... but what about the ‘RED SHOES’ this blog is supposed to be about?


The little guy I am worried about has worn the same pair of shoes last winter ... all summer and is still wearing them every day.  Three of his cousins wore these shoes before him. The sole is worn off the heel and the toe and the shoes are getting tight.(they are not rich, but he does own a DSI)


When the kids talk about Santa and the gifts they are hoping to receive this boy tells them (and me)that he is getting ‘red shoes’! He started talking about this way before Christmas.


And I WANT HIM TO HAVE THOSE RED SHOES!


I give my little ones a small gift, they find it under my chimney. There is always a note from Santa, that tells them to OPEN the gifts at home. This prevents WANTING the gift someone else received!


But giving a child shoes? A bit different ... I admit!


Today I discussed this with his mother ... she said ... SURE! 
She was not aware of her son’s wish.


So Santa will give this little boy RED SHOES for Christmas!

The ultimate bullying? The prize goes to our greedy insurance companies!

I looked up the WORD ‘insurance’ in my dictionary ...

Insurance ...
1. PROTECTION against risk, loss, or ruin, by a contract in which an insurer or underwriter GUARANTEES to pay a sum of money to the insured, or the beneficiary in the event of death, accident, fire, etc, in return for the payment of premiums: also, the business of PROVIDING this PROTECTION.
2. A contract GUARANTEEING such protection.


On October 30 my friend was in a major accident ... she was in a coma for 10 days.
Left side of her rib-cage is crushed ... 9 fractured ribs ..  Both lungs were punctured
Broken pelvis requiring a pin
Ruptured spleen and liver

Needles to say, she has been through Hell lately! But she is a very positive girl and a fighter, thank goodness!

I have been E-mailing with her, her father gave her a laptop to use in the hospital.
Enclosed are the two last ones.





(Nov 24)
“Things are coming along for me. I had a little set back
yesterday. Started running fever and having chills and
tremors. I have a slight infection in my pin site at my
pelvis. Started me on IV antibiotics. Also increased pain,
that required me to go back to the IV pain medicine. I am
feeling better this morning. I am keeping my fingers crossed
that the antibiotic is working to allow me a good day. Kids
and D will be over later today to make my day complete. 
I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life.”








(Nov 29) “Had set back over weekend with chest pain And shortness ofbreath. Spent weekend having multiple tests. They did rule
out heart attack, blood clot, and gallbladder attack. They
are running an overnight monitoring of my breathing to see
if my levels drop requiring oxygen. I will probably be
coming home on Wednesday. Insurance will only allow so much
time in hospital. They are saying I am independent enough
to go home. I am a fighter and will survive no matter where
I am at. I keep thinking of you guys.”



I scares the daylights out of me that THEY have decided she is well enough to go home.
This is called PROTECTION? Or maybe this is the GUARANTEE my dictionary told me about?
I hope there is a way the doctors can make this insurance group responsible for their promises!

Two set-backs in ONE WEEK!

Bullying pisses me off ... I am so worried about her!

It makes me sad when he is so negative .... yet I love him so much

It makes me sad when he is so negative .... yet I love him so much

No, I am not talking about my husband, he is a very positive man, not talking about our son either. He is a perfect mix of happy, pissy and sarcasm for his age.


Maybe it bothers me today, because in the USA we are all talking about how thankful we are right now. In the Netherlands they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. But he could have so much to be thankful for, if he would just LOOK AROUND! Maybe older people get this way? I don’t remember him being this way when I was a kid.


I am talking about my father.


So, yes, now I am saying negative things about my father. I hope you don’t mind that I share these feelings today. If you have read my blog before, you know how much I love my parents. I hope to go see them real soon ... I am planning a trip after Christmas.


The reason I feel this way right now?


I talked the my parents on the phone for an hour this morning. We do this every Sunday. One week they call my sister (she lives near me) the next week it is my turn. 


But she is in Holland right now, with her 26-year-old daughter. They are visiting for 10 days.
Most of these days my sister is with them, my niece is doing a bit more sight-seeing.
The E-mails my sister is sending me tell me how much time she is spending with them. They are playing games, watching tv, listening to music. She cooked for them several times. One day my other sister took her to visit an aunt, where they stayed for ONE HOUR. She lives an hour-and-a-half away! But my visiting sister has explained, “This visit is for Mama and Papa!” So they only stayed for ONE HOUR!


Sometimes elderly people seem to get very selfish, or maybe he is just confused. He was whining and complaining, telling me how she was gone all the time. And then he would say things like, “I understand, we are old and boring.”


Why is it that sometimes elderly people get so manipulative? Or is that a stupid question?


My sister is a jewel ... maybe even too nice!! When I wrote about her neighbor taking her flowers and vegetables in one of my blogs, someone even commented that my sister should, ‘stand up for herself; that she was a doormat.’


So while my father is going on and on with his complaints, my mother is commenting on the scent of fresh air, when my niece comes back from a walk. She is grateful to be alive, after having had several surgeries during the last year.


My mother comments about the good things she is enjoying during my sister’s visit.


It is almost like they were living different lives, instead of sharing the same home, the same kids, the same visits.


So this is a rant, I guess, and I thank you for the ear. I will be going to visit them soon, and I must be positive and bring them smiles!


Maybe you have elderly family and you understand I don’t write this because I don’t love him, I just wished he could be happy and grateful for having had such a long happy life. And for kids that love them very much. Kids that travel across the ocean, to be with them!

I did okay with his girlfriend and I LOVED my messy kitchen yesterday

He brought ‘the girl’!  He almost broke up with her, because she betrayed him. 

Did you ever go there? Telling him all the neutral things that make sense. Inside, as his mother you are thinking of ways TO KILL THAT LITTLE BITCH!

So, you thought I was a nice person? Maybe! But don’t hurt my kid!

He made up with her after he told me he couldn’t! Yet emotions took over!

And here they are ... together ... at our house! Obviously in love!

I wondered how I would feel, and act towards her. I also wondered how Big T would be.

And I am proud to say ... WE ARE ALL OK!

They arrived Wednesday night ... 

So yesterday, Big T and I started early as usual. And I knew he wanted to get that turkey in the oven by 10 am, so I was hurrying to do my desserts! And then I started on my son’s laundry (yes, he did it again!) Even though he told me, he would take care of it himself. Ah well, so I spoil him.

I don’t get to do it that often.

When the young couple joins us, our kid is telling us about this no-bake cheesecake he would like to add to the desserts. Not that we needed any more, it’s no wonder my jeans are so snug right now!

Picture this kitchen!

Big T is a messy cook and he has shit all over the place! Now my kid starts pulling out bowls, measuring cups, mixer ... asking for this and that ingredient.

HE WANTS PRETZELS! For the bottom part of this cheesecake. Girlfriend grins, tells me she was shocked also, but it tastes good!

Pretzels need to be smashed! He puts them in a ziplock and stomps around on it with bare feet.

Of course the baggie pops!! Pretzel dust and pieces are entertaining the dog!

We start over and I suggest the potato masher.

Girlfriend seems very submissive while ‘helping’ him in the kitchen. She tells me our son always cooks at her house.

So now he wants heavy cream and since we don’t have it, he will use 2% milk. OK!

Except he thinks he is going to BEAT IT STIFF!

My kid doesn’t seem to realize that milk doesn’t get STIFF!

So now a trip is required to the store — it HAS TO get stiff.

Poor kid seems to have a problem with things not getting stiff ... he flunked his lemon meringue pie last week too ... it didn’t get stiff either!

I ask him, “You are going LIKE THAT!?”

He is dressed in gym-shorts and flip-flaps. She is wearing a coat and boots.

They have the giggles when they get back! We now open the booze! Time for a drink!

He beats the cream, we are drinking now ... everybody slap-happy ... and the kitchen?

Holy Shit ... you have never seen anything like it!!!

Would you believe I was happy?  This is what HOME should feel like!

After we stuffed ourselves we hung out on the couch and watched a movie, ‘Wrecked’ very intense!  Dessert came during movie-time and that cheese cake was actually very good!

Our Thanksgiving was awesome .... how was yours?  I hope it was filled with love, joy and food!!!

When you DREAD the Holidays ...

For some of us the arrival of a Holiday weighs heavy on the heart. Holidays can be a horrible strain when you are all alone, or if this is the first Thanksgiving/Christmas without your loved one. 

Maybe you got divorced this year or maybe  your relationship ended.

 Or  maybe this is the first Holiday without one of your parents.

A sudden sadness, or a renewal of grief can be brought on by a day where loved ones gather and share. This sudden sadness can be overwhelming.

PLEASE, don’t stay alone ... ALLOW your friends to help you! You would not want anyone you love or care for suffer like this, so don’t walk away from your friends. There is always an extra chair at the table, extra hugs are there for you ... 

I am not quoting this from a book, I have been there. (Many years ago, but I remember oh so well)

After spending Thanksgiving with friends, I decided I could do Christmas alone ... nobody would know ... I lied to those who were kind enough to ask me;  I  told them I was spending time with ‘so-and-so’.

My divorce was final in May, and I should be fine by the Holidays, right?

WRONG!!

I can tell you what you should NOT do!

1. Don’t go for a walk at night and look in those windows, where families are gathered

2. Don’t go shopping on Christmas Eve, while they are playing ‘Oh Holy Night’

3. Don’t hit the bottle, depression will hit you over the head, and you will drown in self-pity

You don’t HAVE to be alone, please know there is always somebody that would be there for you, if you allow them. So please allow your friends to help you!

I wish I could invite all the lonely people for Thanksgiving, but I might need a house as big as a country for that!

But I can send you some love through cyber-space ... so pucker up, and open your arms wide!

Hugs to all of you!