Arkansas Journey – Day One & Two

Posted on 2018/10/20 by circuskitchen

October 18-19, 2018

2018-10-18 Arkansas Journey -Day One [1:37]:

2018-10-19 Arkansas Journey – Day Two [3:09]:

Posted in art, childhood, comedy, cousins, evidence they get along, family, grandparenthood, health, love, mental health, parenthood, travel, work-life balance | 2 Comments

Little Rock Landing

Posted on 2018/10/18 by circuskitchen

(Later that same) Thursday, October 18th 2018

2018-10-18 Little Rock Landing [1 min]:

Gavin’s first highlight comes in the form of finding a forgotten credit card in our check-in kiosk and turning it in to an officer. He already felt great about his thoughtful deed when the owner somehow found us and thanked him effusively.

One of my lowlights is having my Yankee white trash food confiscated. I purposely asked Dear Hubsand to go buy me a jar of Fluff and Boston peanut butter as an answer to my southern sister’s Hormel-Velveeta “Cheese” Dip. But then TSA throws it out on account of its dangerously creamy texture.

Then I get the third degree over some disposable juggling balls I brought. I literally have to deconstruct them to demonstrate the uncookef rice inside isn’t explosive or something.

Oh yeah and they get an old imitation Swiss army knife off Gavin too. For a lot of money or effort we could retain the items but Forward Imperfectly we go.

The kids are excellent and responsible travelers as expected but so far they’re also tackling their school assignments. They are “not hungry” during our layover in Atlanta till I get their noses up to Chipo, at which point they each relent and magnanimously mack down some steak burritos.

They don’t even complain when the second flight has NO video screens, NO music even, and NO view except for an entire airplane engine just outside the window. And the stewardess nearly fainted when the kids politely requested their drinks, saying thank you with words and stuff. She said she almost never sees basic decent manners like that anymore, and calls it “a lost art form.” I feel her pain.

This account so far is what kindergarten teachers call “Bed to bed;”. every inconsequential detail and none of the significant ones.

To that I say, “Too bad.”

Or “Tant pis” en francais.

#AuntJoye. #CousinDawson

Posted in animals, art, childhood, cousins, evidence they get along, faith, family, Friendship, health, learning, love, making art, mental health, parenthood, patience, school, siblings, travel, work-life balance | 1 Comment

Arkansas or Bust

Posted on 2018/10/18 by circuskitchen

Thursday, October 18th 2018

By giving up our bags at gate check, our load is utterly lightened and we board first. The kids agree to turn off the built-in video screens for now in favor of the very cool “vacation work” each of their teachers have customized for them, respectively.

I am humbly overwhelmed with gratitude for these two awesome travel companions and this trip. Also not complaining about being seated in the very last row, in light of the anxiety dream I had recently (and wrote up but won’t publish ’til *after* we’ve completed these four pending flights safely together).

And we come back home safe to you, DaddyLove.

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There is No Low They Will Not Go Below

Posted on 2018/10/17 by circuskitchen

October 17th 2018

FACTS DON'T MATTER

Sarah Huckabee Sanders claims that most kids taken from their families “actually self-separated.”

https://shareblue.com/sarah-sanders-kids-taken-families-self-separated/?fbclid=IwAR05UyAFZ2r7BGbmV73Z6u2-qK_448iKHSE5lPntlBkjP58qqnRcBjmcSss

There is no bottom. The free fall continues. There is no low that they will not go below. They pull unfathomable impossibilities out of another dimension and who knew there were so many different ways to anaphylax with moral outrage.  When will the nightmare end?  I know, I know; never. 

The fight continues. 

May the gods we all made up save us from ourselves.

♠

Posted in activism, animals, border family separation, childhood, faith, fighting Fascism, history, mental health, money, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice | Leave a comment

Best Moment of the Day

Posted on 2018/10/13 by circuskitchen

Saturday, October 13th 2018

Best moment by far of my Saturday between three gigs is dropping off the car to Hubsand and Kids, one of whom greets me like this:

2018-10-13 “You’re Tickling Me!” [14 seconds]:

#TheseAreTheDays # JugglingLife #Flamly

♥

Posted in childhood, comedy, domestic life, faith, family, health, love, mental health, money, parenthood, patience, Performing Life, Secret Juggler, work, work-life balance | Leave a comment

Life in the Dream

Posted on 2018/10/11 by circuskitchen

Thursday, October 11th 2018

I just love how my daughter’s reading has caught fire.

 

And how my son loves (needed, choose and appreciates) his new sneakers. And how he is a lanky jumble of limbs with shoes; just like me at his age (10).

 

And how my Girl Power daughter –while still having room to grow in the diplomacy department– does not take Any BS from Boys on the bus.

 

Or from her mother for that matter:

 

How well this brother and sister actually get along:

Tic Tac Toe on the wet car window

Reading while waiting for the doctor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how endowed my kids are with the adoring love of a father and true man unafraid to shower them with his affection:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how we are covered in magically wonderful beasts so daily:

 

And the miracle of how blessed we are with security, warmth, comfort, food, shelter, clean water, power, infrastructure, HEALTH, employment, education, transportation, access to medical care, friends, family, enrichment and fun.

 

Obviously I did nothing specific to deserve access to these blessings, while so many suffer unimaginably throughout the planet and in our back yards.

 

I promise to always to my best to appreciate every little blessing, work hard, play hard, rest p.r.n., be kind in general (even if I hella fail), fight for right and help others how I can.

 

I KNOW we’re all gonna die.  It’s all gonna end sometime. And that could be ANY time. And depending on how this Fascist Disease plays out it could be sooner than later for all of us on this Little Ship we’re burning up.

The uncertainty and the impermanence of it all are the price we pay for the richness of it all.

Of course it is painful to contemplate. Whomever told us life was supposed to be pain free sold us some very paltry smoke and mirrors.

Yet, with riches like these how can I do anything but fall to my knees in gratitude. I grieve for what I have to lose. And I accept the consequences of these gifts.

 

Amen. And halleluia.

♥♥♥♥♥

Posted in activism, animals, art, border family separation, childhood, comedy, domestic life, evidence they get along, faith, family, fight, fighting Fascism, food, forgiveness, health, history, learning, love, mental health, money, nature, parenthood, patience, politics, siblings, social justice, spirituality, work-life balance | Leave a comment

AniMALL Riders

Posted on 2018/10/10 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, October 10th 2018

So much to blog, so little time.  Today I offer 22 seconds of my kids riding these ridiculous animal scooters around the mall.  They even gave their ol’ mom a ride, lol.

2018-10-10 AniMALL Riders [22 seconds]:

 

♥♥

Posted in animals, childhood, comedy, domestic life, evidence they get along, family, health, love, money, parenthood, siblings | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Hospital Clowning: A Mal Adjusted Day

Posted on 2018/10/09 by circuskitchen

Tuesday, October 9th 2018

What a pleasure to partner with the one and only Dr. Mal Adjusted.

1)  Spidey Legs

spiderman-1In the room of six year old Jake, Dr. Mal proposes to tell a JOKE.  Naturally I interrupt, repeatedly.  Dr. Mal shows me to the bathroom, into which I go immediately.  Setting off all the plumbing I can for audio effect, I start grabbing as much toilet paper as I can and knock on the door to come back out.  When Dr. Mal opens the door I pile the TP on their head.  Dr. Mal jokes around about how it’s too cloudy to see, etc.  Meanwhile young Mr. Jake is wiggling all over his bed in fits of laughter, including both his legs in full-length Spiderman-themed casts.

 

2.  That’s All Folks

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A lovely 11 year old girl patiently watched and laughed from her bed while Dr. Mal & I struggle and argue over how we’re supposed to introduce ourselves.  When we finally get it right, we’re out of time.  Sorry!  We exit with a song to the backdrop of the kind of smile that could light a city.

 

3) Buttoned Up Tight

pressure cooker

15 year old McKenzie palpably tolerates us skeptically as we check to see whether we are “bothering her.”  Of course I do a bunch of extra checks, systematically testing every silly noise maker in my pockets as her dad looks on.  Once we ascertain our answer (yes), we apologize and make our exit.  As the door slowly closes we hear this strange buzz sound.  Then we hear the Dad erupt in a full belly laugh and say, “So they DID make you laugh!”  We realize the sound had been McKenzie herself, releasing a big “Pffffff!!!” at us on our way out.

So we definitely changed the energy in the room, as is our goal, even if the child only let it change once we LEFT.  It was like a pressure valve being released.

We’ll take it.

 

4)  Status Playfoghorn_leghorn__henery_hawk_by_matthewhunter

Partnering as clown involves playing with status, eg; Low vs. High. 

With Dr. Mal our status play seems to arrive naturally, mainly in the form of Annoying vs. Frustrated. 

Or Dumb vs. You Gotta Be Kidding Me. 

As I near the completion of my first year doing this work it feels so good to find the relationship and status unfold naturally.  Dr. Mal Adjusted is pure, idiotic, hilarious, wonderful gold.

5)  Today’s Joke Harvest (c/o the best six year old superstar joke teller there is!):

LoL-Meaning-In-Hindi-300x220Q:  What did one owl say to the other?  / A: Happy Owl-oween!

Q: Why did the student eat the homework? / A: B/c teacher said it was a piece of cake.

Q:  What do you get when you cross a vampire with a snowman? / A:  Frostbite!

Q:  Why is the giraffe’s neck so long? / A:  Because his feet stink.  (His butt also.)

Q:  Why was the giraffe late to the party? / A: Because he hit every light on the way.

Q:  Why did the picture go to jail?  / A:  Because it was framed!

Knock Knock. / Who’s there?  / Cow say. /  Cow say who?  /  No, Cow say MOO silly!

Knock Knock. / Who’s there? / Owl say. / Owl say who? / That’s right you got it!

#HospitalClowning

♥♥

Posted in art, childhood, comedy, faith, family, fight, health, Hospital Clowning, Laughter League, learning, love, making art, mental health, music, patience, Performing Life, ukeoke, ukulele, work | Tagged | Leave a comment

Hospital Clowning: Stuff We Can Do

Posted on 2018/10/08 by circuskitchen

Thursday, October 4th 2018

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Stuff Hospital Clowns Can DO

(A working compendium of possible Hospital Clown, um, “Services):

juggle for you

juggle with our partner

blow bubbles

grab prize bubbles

give YOU bubbles

make something disappear

sing you a song

sing a song about YOU

sing ANOTHER song about YOU

make up a song with you

dance you a dance

dance a dance about you

do a song AND dance about you

guess your name

tell you a joke

have you tell US a joke

play a music box

shake our tamborine

make silly noises

show you a coloring book  trick

do “black magic”

answer the banana phone

introduce our partner

walk into a wall

help you walk down the hall

help distract you from medical procedures

close the door in our partner’s face

close the door on our own face

nod in agreement

interrupt

interrupt a lot

beat you at a staring contest

win a fashion contest

go in your bathroom

diagnose your stinky socks

hypnotize our partner

tell you a story

make fart noises

burp on purpose or by accident

spin around real fast

show you how strong we are

trash your room

squeak your shoe

squeak your pillow

be very, very quiet

give you a sticker

give you a clown nose

put a clown nose on your mom

drumroll

do a cheer

make fashion from paper towels

hablar Español… un POQUITO

give you two pieces of free advice for the price of one

send you love

stage a play

get tangled in your curtain

have a spat

take a pause

take a breath

take the blame

NOT do

be enough

♦

Posted in art, comedy, health, Hospital Clowning, learning, love, making art, mental health, Mindfulness, music, patience, Performing Life, ukeoke, ukulele, work | Leave a comment

Lovely Hella Honk Day

Posted on 2018/10/07 by circuskitchen

Sunday, October 7th 2018

ClaraJane (in red bike helmet) front row center for Environmental Encroachment on the Honk Stage, weather be damned.

2018-10-07 Lovely Hella Honk Day [48 seconds]:

#LeSwoon

Posted in art, childhood, evidence they get along, family, food, health, love, making art, mental health, music, parenthood, siblings, social justice, spirituality, work-life balance | Leave a comment