United Friends Challenge # 165

Please note:

There are quite a few components to this Challenge so please read it carefully to ensure that you meet ALL the criteria.

Northernpat's Challenge

Winning The Game.

Your character in the story is entering a competition.

Of these, the choice is yours:-

Any sport

Quiz Show

Beauty Contest

Cookery Competition

Whatever happens, they are going to win at all costs.

Write a short story about the competition, the opposition, and the tactics and strategies used for winning.

(They are allowed to cheat if necessary)

Today He Played With Cleats

Julian came to practice early that morning, full of good intentions. He had a sense of such accomplishment as he fastened the shin-guards on himself. Filled with a new sense of independence, Julian stood in line for scrimmages. His coach blew the whistle and he ran, head high, to the orange cones and back to the next one in line.

Next, he was first in line to kick the ball in front of himself. He felt such glory when he got the black and white ball and kicked it across the field. Julian half listened to his coach.

Today he played with cleats.

The other team, Maroon, assembled at the other side of the field. He saw his friend from school was on defense and his friend's mom had a whistle. He decided that he would say hi but not let it distract him.

The whistle blew for the first quarter and they were upon the ball. Julian kicked and so did his teammate Tim. Maroon kept right in there so that it was hard to tell where the leg started and the ball ended. White and black finally broke free and Julian ran towards it.

A Maroon player stopped it and tried to kick it back but in a flurry of legs and shoes, the ball seemed to pause at that little spot. Julian kicked but the ball merely bounced in the air and came down with everyone vying for a turn.

It was the same for the rest of the four quarters, except for the bathroom and water breaks. Julian heard his coach say that they were tied and to try not to let the other team score in the net.

He pondered this advice in his heart as he took his defense postion. The Maroon player who had tried to monopolize the ball for the entire game stood opposite of his position. Suddenly, Julian knew what he had to do.

The whistle blew and Julian ran to the net to assist his teammate Nick. The teams were in a solid pack and the ball was lost in the tangle of legs and shins. Suddenly, though, that ball was headed straight towards the net.

He remembered what the coach said. He thought about his team and how important it was to keep the ball from going into the net. He braced himself and stood in front of the net, blocking an end. Several of his other teammates followed suit and together, as a team, they stood in front of the net. As the kicking mass approached, someone, whether Maroon or Kelly Green he didn't know, someone kicked the ball towards the net.

The black and white ball stopped. Julian took a chance and kicked the ball. It went half way across the field. He took a deep breath and ran as fast as he could toward it. The grass was slippery and he saw both Maroon and Kelly Green slip and fall. He focused on the ball and came to it. He kicked it to the net.

His buddy from school blocked it but in doing so, he kicked the ball into his own net.

There was a cheer from the crowd. His buddy started to cry. His buddy's mom ran to her son and gave him a hug.

As they stood in line to say good game, he heard his coach laugh and say, "I love 4 year old soccer."

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

I am a Stay at Home Mom

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I drive a minivan, yes. It's paid for and it's 13 years old. That's right, it's a 1996 and it still runs. It's not the nicest car in the world, but it takes us where we need to go. Our other car is literally 20 years old. This car is paid for as well. I like to see the beautiful Sports Utility Vehicles that other people drive and I love riding in them. But we are content with what we have.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I live in a simple house. In my neighborhood there are many professionals and they have gorgeous homes. I am happy for them. They have gorgeous landscaping and beautiful furniture. Ours is definitely not as good as theirs, but we are willing to do a little at a time.

Our furniture is well loved and when we buy new, you better believe it's out of dire necessity. My dining room set is from a thrift shop and it has served us well for 10 years. It's not gorgeous but it works.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

My children wear hand me downs. They are neat, they are clean and they are new to them. I buy them a couple of new things each season and that seems to be sufficient for them. My daughter has learned to accessorize to make herself very stylish; she is learning creativity.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I don't have nice clothes. I have useful clothes, which are neat and clean. If I gave any thought, I suppose I could make them more stylish. But because I am at home, I am running one to band and two to swimming in between and then pick them up at take them home, all within two hours. Sometimes I'm running other children besides my own. Sometimes I'm lucky if I've brushed my teeth.

I am a Stay at Home mom.

When a working mom can't get her child in time, she calls me. When a working mom has to leave early, she calls me. I do not look down on her for her choice because I know that she is contributing to my family just as I am. Working Mom is my sister and I am proud of her.

I am a Stay at Home mom.

There are 5 major grocery stores in my area and I can tell you which store has the best buy on what item. I use coupons. I shop sales. I wait to buy things until they are on sale and I have a coupon. My Working Mom sister does this too, but I remember when I worked and how I didn't have time to go to several different stores. I do now so sometimes I might save a little extra money and we don't use name brands; I do this as a contribution to my household.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I am involved in my children's schools. I do this not to put a guilt trip on my sisters at work; I do this because this is one of the prices I pay to be at home. I bake cookies. I help with the Book Fair. I am a room parent and I take pictures to share with other moms who wish they could be there. I understand. We all do what we can.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I cannot understand why there are some Working Moms who look down on my choices. I cannot understand why some of my other Stay at Home sisters look down on their working sisters. We are all working toward the same thing, which is taking care of our family.

The Feminist movement does not bother me. I embrace it as my own, as I was a child when the movement started. One of their points was that a women should have the same choices as men, when it came to careers and pay. I am a Christian and I am thrilled to have a choice of whether to go back to work or stay at home.

I made my choice, or rather, my husband and I decided it together. We decided to live a very simple lifestyle. We decided to forego some luxuries. It would be nice to go out to a fabulous restaurant and wear gorgeous clothes and painful shoes. Nice, but like many things, those dinners will have to wait.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

One day I will probably go back to work. Maybe I won't. I've been told that my Working Sisters wish that they were at home at 3pm when their teenagers got out of school. That scares me.

And because I've been out of the workforce, I wonder if I'll even be able to get work. And I know and love many of my Working Sisters who are keeping their families afloat. I don't know how they do it; they are so strong. I try to encourage them when I can.

So, let's not put each other down. We are mothers and we should be pulling for each other, no matter what the circumstance. I respect my Working Mom sisters; I wonder if they respect me?

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved. by C. Deanne

United Friends Challenge # 164

Caghs' Challenge

In 25 words or less, write a poem about a war hero/war heroes.

Nurse

I held their hands, wiped their brows.

Never once renounced my vows.

To apply the gentle arts to heal.

Heart of mercy, Spine of steel.

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

For more creative entries, please click here.

Encouragement

There is a room inside my heart
Dark
No windows
A small light above
A little door that lets me in and out.

I sit alone there
in the darkness
without sound
listening.

I venture out the door
to give
to serve
to meet needs of others.

I have been told
that I have
the gift
of encouragement.
of lifting up the fallen.
of bolstering a sagging spirit.
of taking a hand and holding it.

It is more blessed to give
than to receive.

I sit in my silent room
and I wait
for a gift
that never comes.

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved

# 173 - Where in the World?

Have you ever stood still and scratched your head and said, 'Where in the world?' Is there somewhere in the world you would love to go? Are you looking for someone or something or a place that makes sense to you? Where in the world are you?

This is my first ever post for Sunday Scribbles. Welcome and please leave a link if you are participating so that I can visit.

I scratched my head this summer. My children are in school full time and I am still at home. I have volunteered at PTA, at Bible Studies, at church, at Girl Scouts. I've volunteered to serve my time at the concessions stands for several seasons of baseball and softball. My life has revolved around my family.

As well it should. I prayed for years to have children and thank God my husband and I have three. But I stood at the crossroads, wondering which way to go. On one hand, we could always use the extra income for things, but in this economy there would be no work available in the hours that I need. I have no back up, no relatives, no mother or father or in-laws to get the kids.

So, my undiscovered country is school. I would have loved to see the sandy stones at a Welsh castle but it will have to wait. I will pursue a degree, a mother among the dream-filled young.

My steps will be cautious in the new world. I wonder if I will be able to live and thrive there. I am afraid that I will not be able to keep up with the school work and worry that I will not be the role-model that I would like to be for my children.

A role model who does her homework diligently and does well.

Where in the world am I? At the beginning of a new adventure, a step off my door sill.

For more creative stories, please visit Sunday Scribbles

Creative Challenge # 62

Marvin's Pond

An eight hour ride

to my father's childhood home.

Blazing heat, moist air,

No television, one radio with one station,

And the lonely only-me.

How I hated those trips to the boredom

of nothing,

when all I had to do was to read poetry all day,

to walk the gravel road in the heavy summer air,

to hear the crickets and bees and bob whites whistle.

Then to toss and turn as the frogs called each other

into the night filled with stars.

I am a mother now

and wish that I could bring my children

back to my uncle's farm

and sit in the quiet summer days

fishing in his pond.

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved.

For more creative entries, please click here.

Writer's Digest Prompts

I thought I'd try it. My entry is very different from everyone else's!

http://blog.writersdigest.com/promptly/CommentView.aspx?guid=60E933A1-B407-431F-BE51-4847B51D3B9D

United Friends Challenge # 160

Desnath's Challenge

Write a story, starting with this:
" I was sitting in my favourite chair, watching my favourite television program, when ......."



Asbestos Tile

I was sitting in my favourite chair, watching my favourite television program, when I heard a loud thump from my ceiling. My daughter's room was above me so I went upstairs to investigate.

I should have known that something was different because the stairs felt soft under my feet. The stairs in my house are hardwood oak. I went through the hallway to check on her but found the room was empty. It wasn't that my daughter was in the bathroom. Nothing was there; the room was completely empty. And the sun was out

The floor was that ugly green and green asbestos tile, the walls were still real knotty pine panels and there were no curtains or blinds on the wall. I walked to the window and looked outside. The tree from my childhood was in the front lawn, for my daughter's room is my old childhood room.

When I turned back, the room was furnished with the things of my past. My old table. My old typewriter and stand, with paper. My dresser that my daughter uses now. Posters of Donny Osmond, Randolf Mantooth and Sean Cassidy and a big poster W.C. Fields were on my walls and door.

I walked to the typewriter to see what I had written. Things long forgotten and tossed away. A story. I pulled out the old wooden chair. It made a hollow, familiar noise on the golden rug; that rug had followed my parents from their first apartment in the city, near Michael Reese Hospital where my mother was a nurse.

I ran my fingers across the cold keys and thought of all the things that I had dreamed. I turned back and the walls were bare, but the room was filled with stuff. When I turned back the typewriter was gone and I could barely stand for all the clutter.

When I married my husband, we stored a lot of things in this room. I remember how stressed I was because this room needed to be cleared out for our son. I laughed when I thought how I had to really put my foot down about this. I looked down at the rug and it was a pale shade of blue.

When I looked back up, the nursery was set up. I smiled and walked to the white crib that held my first and second child. I turned towards the window and saw a twin bed in the corner with a guard rail. My little son gave up his crib to his baby sister.

I walked over to the bed and sat down at the foot. I thought of all the memories and the little board books that we read over and over, and then again to his sister. And again to his brother.

I turned again and saw three beds in this small room. We had the floors redone and they had to share a room for a month or so and my daughter got to keep a room all to herself. She was so afraid that first night, but she got used to her own things very quickly.

I stood up and walked to the door, having to move over to avoid bumping into the bedframes. When I turned back, the room was darkened and my daughter was sound asleep in her bed. But one of her books was on the floor. The bump I had heard downstairs.

I picked it up and placed it on her bedstand. I smoothed her curly hair, kissed her cheek and went back downstairs.

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

To read other creative entries, please click here.

Mission Statement

The mission of this blog is to present my writing challenges, warts and all, to review and promote Christian Fiction, specifically speculative, to use this to encourage other writers by promoting their works and to share my heartaches and triumphs as a writer.