Mariannes Motifs

Swimming

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Georgia Aquarium Cold Water Quest now Re-Open

Just in time for Memorial Day festivities, the newly renovated Cold Water Quest area of the Georgia Aquarium is now open.  The African Penquin exibit will now have twice as many birds, and features state of the art lighting which changes to mimic the seasons to help get the birds in the mood for breeding.

The Beluga Whales will now be able to intermingle with the harbor seals, and the sea otters will be returning to their digs as well with more deck space for interacting with their trainers.  They even have a "clam cannon."  LOL I am not sure what exactly the clam cannon does but we shall see! 

I am really excited.  The last time I visited the Aquarium the penguins were in the back due to the construction, so it will be nice to see them again.  I just love the little funny birds in tuxedos.

Creativity

When I hear people say they are "not very creative" it makes me a little sad.  I think all human being are creative, but creativity needs to be nurtured, and it doesn't survive in an atmosphere of too many rules, criticism, and negative valuation.  In children, its particularly important to make sure you are helping the kids be creative, not just teaching them to color in the lines, be neat, and follow directions.

In fact true creativity means coloring outside the lines, making your own lines, only using lines, not using lines at all, or all of the above.  Or none of the above. Rules can squelch creativity, but have you ever noticed how rules can also spur on our creative sides?  Contests, for example, done as part of arts and crafts communities can spur on someone to do more work.  Sometimes the very act of following (even arbitrary) rules can make your mind have to bend around the constraints and end up creating something more beautiful.  Think Haiku poems for an example.  The act of following the rules about syllables and subject matter can really get your mind's juices flowing.

I've taken part in knitting community contests, scrapbooking community contests, blog memes, and all sorts of friendly competitions that helped me product some of my best works. I enjoy the camaraderie, the inspiration, and the spark that I get from taking part in contests and events.

So what if you really don't feel creative, or have forgotten how to feel creative?  Try a craft kit, follow a recipe, or use a tutorial or in depth set of instructions.  There's nothing to look down upon for making a craft that someone else designed. The act of creating is still meaningful and the end result is your own work.  After you are good at following the recipe or pattern, then you can branch out and do your own thing.  It's like  a woodworker learning the classical forms and then branching out to make modern furniture.  I like to use a pattern, recipe, or tutorial as a starting off point, then make changes so the final work is my own creation.

There are no arts and craft police!  Do what makes you happy and have fun.  The very act of making art or crafts will help develop the creative part of your mind.  Whether you are painting by the numbers or going wild with your original designs, don't be afraid and just have fun.

Can't Handle the Cuteness

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Why Do I Blog?

Blogging is a bit of a hobby for me I guess. It allows me to express myself without having to worry about pleasing anyone else. I don’t expect anyone to read my posts, and am pleasantly surprised when people do. Yes, a little bit narcissistic.

I never blog about anything I wouldn’t tell my grandmother, mother, next door neighbor, and boss. That rule keeps me out of trouble pretty well. I do make money blogging, and I am pretty sure my professional blog was part of the reason I was hired for a very good job.

I have four blogs? On my personal blog mariannesmotifs.com I share pictures of my family and amusing things I run across, write essays and vent about politics when I feel like it, share advice and freebies.

I have a Sci Fi blog scifijungle.com which is for all about books, movies, tv, and fun sci fi stuff. Then I have a blog about Crohn’s disease (crohnsdiseaserelief.com) which focuses on the disease I have and ideas on coping and inspiring others.

My best advice for a new blogger would be to pick a great plaform like Typepad.com or Blogger.com and get your own domain right at the beginning. I use GoDaddy.com and Typepad.  Don't blog at work - these things have time stamps.  If you have an idea write it down in a notebook, google docs, or on a flash drive, and flesh it out and blog it later on your own time.

Buttery Maple Bacon Donut

Went to the world famous Dutch Monkey donut shop in Cumming, GA. I had a huge (delicious) Cinnamon Twist but had to snap a pic of the bacon donuts.

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Inspiration

Breathing is in the very meaning of the word inspiration.  The etymology, or word origin, of inspiration comes from the Latin word "inspiratus."  That is formed by the prefix in (as in into) and spirare meaning "blow."  Together they form the meaning "inspire, inflame, blow into."

The divine "breathes" creativity into us. Like blowing into a fire, making the flames leap higher, inspiration is a breath that expands the ideas and feelings in our minds or hearts.  Like a cosmic thermogenic fat burner lighting us up from within.

Inspire yourself first and then share with others.  Just like when you are flying and the safety video tells you that in the event of a loss of cabin pressure affix your own oxygen mask first, then that of the child you are in charge of - you need to first take the time and energy to keep yourself inspired before you can be a leader and inspire others. 

What inspires you?  I am inspired by reading the great thoughts of writers who have come before us and taken the time to write down their ideas.  I am inspired by nature all around me.  From a butterfly, or a green leaf, to a flower or a red cardinal flying around my yard, I am constantly being reminded to open my eyes and really see the world around me. My biggest source of inspiration is my husband.  A hug from him makes me smile and recharges my emotional batteries.  A little joke from him makes me laugh and lightens the load of day to day cares and worries.

6 Free or Almost Free Things to do with Your Kids

Free or Almost Free Things to do with Your Kids

Use your imagination to come up with your own free or nearly free stuff to do.  Change things around to fit the ages of the particular kids in question.  These work for Aunts and Uncles (even honorary ones) as well as parents and guardians.  You do not need to spend a lot of money in order to entertain and educate your children.  Here are 6 ideas that are free or almost free, no expensive video games, special equipment, or preschool furniture  are required.

1.  Read together.  Pick as story and read a chapter or two every night.  If your kids are reading take turns reading a page and go back and forth.  Have you read Harry Potter, Warriors, The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland?  These are all some great books to read a little at a time.

2.  Play a game.  I bet you have a stack of games in your house.  Even a deck of cards can be great - try Kings in the Corner for a good kid and adult card game.  My grandmother always used that one to get us warmed up for bridge!  (She always needed a fourth so she had to teach me.) The classic kids games are classic for a reason.  Little kids love Chutes and Ladders, and CandyLand just like we did.  Hisss is a favorite at our house - a card game where you have snake heads, tails, and body parts in different colors and try to see who can make more complete snakes.  I can't wait til my kids are older and I can teach them to play the railroad building board game "Ticket to Ride."

3.  Ride bikes or take a walk around your neighborhood.  If that's too boring take a drive to a local park and walk the trails there.  We have a local  linear trail called the Greenway and it's a lovely walk.

4.  Arts and crafts project time!  For little kids print free coloring pages from the internet.  I keep a craft basket with all sorts of leftover pieces and parts of things.  Add some cheap Elmer's Glue and you can create a work of art.  If you want to spend a few dollars take a trip to the craft store like Michael's or Joann.  Foam sticky dolls, Shrinky Dinks, watercolor paints and a giant roll of paper... there are endless possibilities.  Don't discount the joy of making a bird feeder out of pinecones and peanut butter.

5.  Cook together.  Cooking is a great way to teach kids math concepts, chemical reactions, and reading and following directions.  Start with easy things like baking cookies, and making individual pizzas.  Then branch out into more complex dishes and meals.  Tip:  kids are a lot more likely to eat dinner if they had a hand in making it.

6.  Have a movie night.  Play a family favorite, watch something that is on TV, or do Pay Per View or movie rentals.  Pop some popcorn, have the kids get their pillows, blankets and stuffed animals, and camp out.  Dim the lights and enjoy.

Happy Mothers Day

Haiku Colada at Benihana --- hubsters drink.
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Why Do So Many Toilet Parts have Naughty Sounding Names?

We spent a rather large percentage of our weekend attempting to fix our upstairs toilet.  It was running, then didn't flush.  I opened up the tank and the ballcock fell off.  (See title of post)

So hubster went and got a ballcock free water level fill valve and put that in.  He's a plumbing god. 

Then the handle went.  Back to the hardware store, and now we have a new handle.  I think we're going to need a new flapper too, but hubster says no.  Eegads, there are too many parts to this stuff.

Spring plungers anyone?