One Liner Wednesday – #1LinerWeds – Parenting 101

06 Feb 2019 44 Comments

by Ritu in #1linerweds, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , ,

“If I have to say your name/it again…?”

Ritu and every other parent out there!

Okay, so this isn’t going to be a simple one-liner… is it ever with me?

You read the above.

I’m currently considering the overused line above, that I definitely uttered today, at least three times, in the same situation!

What is it with kids not listening?

And why do I utter these empty threats?

I should really learn.

Saying anything to children of a certain age will gain you nothing.

(Unless you’re promising lots of sweet/TV time [the little uns] or V-Bucks for Fortnite and unlimited access to mobiles [older kids], then they listent o anything you want.)

Yet I still have these battles of wills with my kids, and sometimes my pupils at school.

Am I expecting too much?

Should a child jump as soon as we tell them to do something?

Or is it fine for them to drag their heels, dawdle for as long as they want, then stomp around in a huff when they are late for school?

I mean this morning, I used that quote/phrase to the demon teen Lil Man at least six thousand times, to get him out of bed…

And tonight, I had to repeat myself about the same to tween trouble, Lil Princess just to get her to put her shoes on so we could go home from my in-laws’ place…

And they didn’t rush/hurry/listen.

Yet I am still here, back home, in one piece. Nothing major happened to anyone because we were a few moments later than usual.

But, the point is, shouldn’t they be listening to me/us the first time?

I mentioned empty threats before, because they are.

I admit I tell them I will take phones/internet access away. Or that I will cancel a meet up with their friends.

Yet I don’t actually see it through… the fall out after something like that is just too big for me to deal with after a day at work!

And when they meet their friends, it’s a chance for me to catch up with the mums too, which I don’t get to do often enough!

It’s just easier to nag at them a little longer, endure the stomping and keep on going because the mood they’re in means they will disappear into their bedrooms for an hour after we get home, and I get peace before my sweet(er) children resurface!

So, yeah… that was my one liner!

Written for Linda’s #1LinerWeds prompt.

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One-Liner Wednesday – In Sync

Colleen’s 2019 Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 122

05 Feb 2019 41 Comments

by Ritu in #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

As I said yesterday, the challenges are back on after a month off!

Today it is Colleen’s turn, with her Tanka Tuesday which is not just about Tankas, but rather a chance to use different syllabic poetic forms.

Usually, she gives us two words which we need to use synonyms of within our verses… but on the first Tuesday of the month, we get free rein, and this month, the suggestion was to think of love related poems, as Valentine’s is so close…

Colleen recently introduced us to a new form, called a Haiga, where the words, usually a haiku or senryu, are echoed by an image, traditionally painted, but nowadays, can be a photo too.

I thought I’d try the traditional way, and even painted my own quick watercolour to go with it! It’s simplistic but effective, I hope!

A senryu for you all.

My words are Together and Heart

Two Hearts By Ritu
Two hearts beating fast
Ten fingers firmly entwined
One life together

Ritu 2019
https://colleenchesebro.com/2019/02/05/colleens-2019-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-122/

RonovanWrites Weekly #Haiku #MicroPoetry Prompt Challenge #239 Sugar&Bitter

04 Feb 2019 32 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge Tags: , , , , , ,

It’s been over a month since I took part in this challenge, and boy, am I glad to be back!

Lovely Ron’s words this week are:

Sugar & Bitter

Two poems today. The first a haiku about the weather…

My own image!
A bittersweet turn
Delicate flakes fall then melt...
Sorry, no snow day!

Ritu 2019

And a senryu:

Model, Face, Beautiful, Black And White
Pixabay Image
Your lips, sugar sweet
Your eyes smoulder with passion
Yet your heart, bitter

Ritu 2019
Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge Image 2016

Chai And A Chat #18 #ChaiAndAChat

04 Feb 2019 45 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: , , , , , ,

Welcome to February and a whole new month!

Have you got that drink ready? My chai is waiting!

  • If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I was ill… oh so ill… this week. I ended up being off work for three days, Monday to Wednesday, and quite possibly could have been off the whole week, but the guilt factor of not being at school drove me back… It started with the vomiting and upset stomach bug, causing me to have really bad lower back pain. I swear, I had a hot water bottle attached to my person for almost 72 hours! Then a cough developed, which is still with me… It was definitely not nice being off…
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d whisper that the only plus side to being off sick was that I had many, many hours to read! I actually read 5 books over those few days, and was able to write a big long book review post about them, and the others I had read in January! Did you read it? If not, click HERE!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that the children were excitedly hoping for a falling of the white stuff. And well, we got a little bit. On Tuesday there was a sprinkling that turned to ice by the morning. On Friday, all waited with bated breath… would we get that snow day? But no. It seemed a large part of the UK was snowed under/in but not us here. The kids were most disappointed, and even more so when the white stuff did fall… at night on Friday, so there would be no snow day chances as it was the weekend, then, when we woke, it had all but melted! Gutted!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I still haven’t received my feedback from my friend regarding the manuscript, but he’s been busy with a family wedding and his son’s 16th… I think I can forgive him. I have also sent a copy to a really wonderful comedienne friend of mine to get her opinion too. Fingers crossed!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention that, whilst on my sick bed, I experimented a lot with Calibre and managed to make my manuscript into a mobi file, so it can be read easily on an e-reader. It’s not ready to be published, but being able to go through it on my Kindle added a different perspective to my editing… and it was a special moment to open my ‘book’ on my Kindle for the first time!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d excitedly tell you that my lovely lady friends, the Tootie Frooties, have arranged another outing. Unfortunately, not all can come, but the ones of us who can, are going to a comedy night! It’s not for a month or so. but I’ll be sure to keep you all informed!
  • If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention that as February is here, we are also full on into birthday month in my in-laws family. Sunday we celebrated my Brother-in-law’s birthday, and we have my Hubby Dearest and Mother-in-law’s to come on Friday, then Lil Princess and my Father-in-law’s a couple of weeks after! It’s gonna be an expensive month… and don’t forget Valentine’s Day!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d moan that despite getting a sickness bug, I didn’t lose any weight… so I am still hoping to sort that particular mess out!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that Lil Man’s braces saga is starting up again. He has decided he wants fixed braces now, so I have a few crazy rushes from school to get him to appointments over the next couple of weeks. Mummy’s Taxi? Yup, that’s me!
  • If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I can’t wait for half term… two weeks to go!

Have a wonderful week Peeps! Let me know how your week went!

Kick-Ass Kreators Create!

03 Feb 2019 37 Comments

by Ritu in My Writing Tags: , , , , , , ,

As you may, or may not, know, I set up an online accountability group on Facebook.

Have you joined? Click here!

The intention is to give a little motivation each day and have opportunities to share our ups and downs with each other.

A suggestion was made that we could do something like a collective creation within the group, and so Just One Line was born!

The first challenge went out on Friday, and here is the little story that came out of it!

An incessant tongue licking my cheek was what woke me from my slumber.

 I had already warned him a million times not to do that!

But dogs don’t always speak human, do they?

I guess I only had myself to blame for weakening and agreeing to look after my sister’s Saint Bernard’s.

I have to admit I was disappointed when they didn’t have that cute little liquor barrel around their necks.

But, to be honest, after the night I’d had, liquor was the last thing on my mind…

I had been up three times to see what the racket in the street was, and the dog had not even stirred!

But when the furious knocking on the back door started, at last, he was stirred to action.

As I padded down the stairs to investigate, the house suddenly became quiet; was I sleepwalking again?

What did I just step in on the stairs?

Was it my imagination, or was it a pool of blood?

A dark silhouette loomed at the front door.

I was rooted to the spot, what should I do, I hesitated my hand on the doorknob.

With the poker poised to strike, I twisted the knob, screwed my eyes tight and dropped the hand as hard as I could.

There on the floor lay my husband, looking stunned.

He wasn’t meant to be back till Tuesday.

At least he got a decent welcome from the dog, as I stood there, frozen in shock.

That’s when I poured my own liquor.

Darn flea-bitten mutt, I muttered under my breath, trying to control my anger.

From the floor, my husband produced a bottle, “To celebrate my early return, ” he muttered.

Well, that was fun!

If you want to be a part of it all, make sure you join, then you can add your own slants to the Just One Line story of the week!

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