Holidays, Resolutions, and Stuffy Noses

I fell off the planet for a few months, but with the holidays and such I suppose I wasn’t the only one. Now I am returning to find complete chaos where I left merely disorder.

My last entry was before Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. I hope everyone had a lovely break and had a chance to enjoy family.

The house now echoes with a cacophony of bells. I tried to keep the cat inside, but once it learned to use the dog door, those attempt were futile. Before long, it was jumping the fence and exploring. He caught small animals until we put a bell on its collar. The bell worked beautifully until the weather dropped below freezing and decided to stay for weeks. The animals slowed down and the cat didn’t. In a week’s time, he had caught: two birds (one we were able to save), two squirrels, and a vole. Something had to be done. Perhaps it is a bit excessive, but he now wears a collar of seven bells and has not brought another “gift” home.

When the cat is calm, the house is filled with the sound of children. Who could ask for a more beautiful sound? (Provided the sound occurs prior to eleven o’clock.) Unfortunately, my youngest son has given up sleep. He is a very creative child and has wonderful excuses as to why he can’t sleep. One evening he informed me he was a droid and droids don’t sleep. Another night he came to my room after midnight to let me know that his bed had “boinked” him out of his room and he would not be able to sleep in it. Then, of all the wonderful luck, he turned up polka-dotted. We went to the doctor for vaccinations and he received his second chicken pox shot. The doctor told us that one in twenty kids gets a chicken pox like rash from the shot and it looks like we are one of the lucky ones. I’m not sure how much more luck I want.

As is tradition, I have tried to come up with a list of resolutions for the year. For some reason it has been very difficult this year. But I have resolved to blog at least once each week and read three books every week. I will be reviewing most of these books on this blog. Of course, as resolutions usually go, I am already behind. I have six books for January instead of twelve, but I will post reviews very soon.

I also hope to be a more productive writer. I want to train myself to write every day and submit more of what I write to publishers. Obviously I need to make these goals a little more concrete and measurable. I am working on it.

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and exciting resolutions. If you have a minute, leave a comment and let us know what you have resolved to do this year.

Buried in Beads

It is one o'clock in the morning and what am I doing? I am sitting here trying to put a website up and make it so people will actually be able to find it. As a matter of fact, that is all I have been doing for days and days and days and days. The kids are sleeping and the house is actually quiet for once. I should be in bed, but no. Here I sit covered in beads. I have gemstone jewelry coming out of my ears. I shake my head and amethyst falls on the floor. There are beads in the drawers and on the floor and on my desk. Possibly the most amusing part of this whole endeavor has been writing the page descriptions. In order to get the search engines to actually find your site, you have to use the words over and over and over. Then when someone searches the word, they will find you. But the repetition does make for amusing text. I hope to be writing something other than jewelry descriptions by the end of the week. But, if you have time, go check out my newest wild scheme: www.jewelryjungle.com.

Catching Up

I have gotten behind and not been able to catch for weeks. I can finally see the light and the storm clouds. The house is about clean, I've read all of the books by my bed, my son is busy with his school work, and I am trying to start a new writing project.

For any parents interested, I found the coolest website last week. Sea World has teachers guides online. There are some awesome lessons. http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/index.htm

These are the books I read last week:

The Wish by Gail Carson Levine

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Levine always adds a little magic to her books and that is part of what makes them fun. I liked this book. The characters were real and likeable. The hardest part of middle school is fitting in. The only issue I had with the story is the ending not being very satisfying. I felt as thought the main character didn't really learn much from her experience. She still wanted to use magic to change her life instead of dealing with her problems herself. Of course, she is young. This is a book I would recommend to a friend, but probably not read over and over.


View all my reviews.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I liked "The Graveyard Book" better than this one. However, that is just my opinion. The book is well written with great characters and an interesting plot. It was too scary for me. I love the idea of a little girl wanting an adventure. Kids get bored. But that other mother made me uncomfortable. The button eyes and whatnot were a little too much for me. I wouldn't want my child to read this yet.


View all my reviews.

Jinx by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this book. The main character is lovable and in a mess. She takes responsibility for her actions and learns from her mistakes. I would enjoy a sequel. The minor characters are interesting too. I liked the treatment of magic and the rivalry between the cousins. As always, I am a sucker for a love story. I'd read this book again and recommend it to my friends.


View all my reviews.

What have you been reading? Any great websites or articles?

The Price of Love is Grief

Those aren't my words. I'm copying something one of my family members quoted. Just as you are trying to settle into your rut, some earthquake comes along and cuts a whole new path. I only thought life was returning to normal.

I try to keep my blog upbeat, but this has been a really tough couple of weeks. On Saturday, my Grandaddy went to be with God and my father (his only son). It is so hard to lose someone you care about. He was a wonderful man. We visited with him three or four times a week. The boys are heartbroken. Now, we have to find a new "normal."

Since I have finally moved (although the old house isn't sold and the boxes aren't unpacked) and I have this funeral behind me, I no longer have any excuses for not blogging, reading, and writing. I am trying to ease back into everything. The funeral was yesterday and I spent today reclaiming my house. If you turn you head for just a second, chaos will take right over.

My oldest son is at camp this week from 9:00 to 4:00(except for yesterday), so I don't have to worry about home schooling him right now. I have to check, but I think he has camp next week too. He is having a great time learning about the solar system, but he can't tell me what yet. I have to wait for the play on Friday. I am looking forward to it. We have swim team and martial arts in the evenings, so he keeps us busy. The younger one is only two. We haven't put him in stuff yet.

I am looking toward a productive full week (I hope). I have three books on my bed stand, a new classroom to organize, a pile of laundry that grows each time I look at it, and a story with a first line sitting on my computer. In a few days I will let you know how all of it goes.

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment and let me know what books you are reading, what you are writing, what fun summer activities you have planned, and what has turned your plans on their head.

Returning to Life as Normal

We have moved. The old house still isn't on the market and the new house is still boxed up, but we are moved. So life is beginning to return to normal, at least as normal as things ever are around here.

I have been able to start reading again. I LOVED Being Nikki by Meg Cabot. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson was good, but heavy. Then, I read The Noah Confessions by Barbra Hall. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. Maybe I didn't get it or maybe the main character's attitude toward the south elicited an unconscious negative response. Now, I have moved to Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

As far as homeschooling goes, my son is on a field trip with a home school group and my mother in NY, NY. He is getting to see sites I only dream of. One day I'd like to take the whole family and visit Broadway, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Grand Central Station, The Natural History Museum and some of the other places he is now.

I have several ideas for my writing, but nothing is hopping onto the paper yet. I want to write a sequel to my chapter book, but hate to start when the first one hasn't been accepted yet. I need to get something done soon. My critique group meets Tuesday.

The rest of my day is full of laundry, dishes, meals, and unpacking. Now who packed these boxes? I grab one full of books and put them on the shelf. There is a box of sweaters and one of dishes. Then, I find a box with two dirty shirts, a couple of magazines, the missing telephone, a shoe (note, one not two), and bag of skittles. I can only guess what happened there.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. What books have you found recently? Are you writing? If you home school, what are your summer plans?

The Move is Over

Hooray! We have just completed, more or less, the longest across town move in history. Perhaps I should call The Guinness Book of World Records and see if we can get in. Our furniture and "stuff" is now in our new house, somewhere. I suppose after another week or so it won't take an hour to find my clothes, and I hope the book my son is supposed to be reading for school turns up soon. I wonder if it was misplaced intentionally.

But, more importantly, it is time to return to life. Back to reading, writing, submitting, home schooling, blogging, and maybe even sleeping if I am lucky.

The only book I took the time to read during our move was Meg Cabot's Being Nikki. It was incredible. I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it yet running out to the store and getting Airhead and Being Nikki. In Airhead, Em's(normal, smart high school student) brain is transplanted into Nikki's(supermodel, high school dropout) body, and Em is forced to live Nikki's life. As more and more complications arise from work to school to boys, this novel deepens and takes on issues beyond the imagination. Cabot explores the evils of huge corporations while capturing readers hearts through Em. Teenagers (and sometimes adults) dream of living some else's life. We never realize the issues other people face. The only complaint I have about this book is the next one won't be out for a whole year!

I have also picked back up with my submissions. Right now, I have several chapter books out and I am starting on a YA. I haven't heard yet, but I will let you know when I do.

As far home schooling, my son is almost finished for the year. I picked up a copy of the Summer Bridge workbook so he won't slip back while we take a break. As soon as I find the missing history book, we are going to finish up this year. It is time to turn in the end-of-year paper work and get ready for next year.

I have made a few necklaces amidst the wreckage of our move. I used them for mother's day gifts. I have learned so much since I started. Just this week I learned about wire protectors and crimp covers.

So, has anyone else had a productive week? What are you reading? What have you been writing? Let me know.

Moving is Bad for Your Nails

And you legs, feet, arms, back, and sanity. It even causes writer's block especially when you can't find a pen. We are in the new house now, and I have my Internet back, but the old house is still not empty. This weekend, we are taking a break. The kids are about to kill me.

I hope everyone is healthy and well. The swine flu outbreak is causing much concern. If you want the facts from the CDC, check them out here:




On a happier note, the second book in Meg Cabot's Airhead series is coming out very soon. I'll be heading to the book store in a few days :)

Latest Updates

Well, it has been a few days. We (my sons and I) are feeling a little better. I finally broke down and went to the doctor. I'll be picking up four prescriptions this afternoon. I hope one of them will knock this cold out. I also took the dog (the fat one, not the little red one) to the dentist. She had jaw surgery yesterday. We are trying to assemble a play set for the kids. It has about 14,000 pieces, so it is taking awhile.

I just finished reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. It is a cute story. Somehow, it made me think of The Velveteen Rabbit.

Writing and homeschooling have been difficult recently. I keep realizing something I need for every project I want to do is packed. Hopefully after our move, I'll have a little more to tell you about.

A New Week With New Possibilities

Today is Sunday, the beginning of a new week. I love new beginnings. New years, new months, new weeks, new days. We are still sick which is keeping me from the computer more than trying to get moved.

I have been reading a good bit. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman won the Newbery Medal, so I figured I needed to read it. It was a good book, but a little haunting. Perhaps because I am a mother, I put the book down feeling sad in place of hopeful for the characters. Gaiman has an original plot (very hard to find) and great characters. This book is well written and a more than a little strange. I look forward to reading more of his stories.

I also have been reading chapter books and Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key. Dessen is remarkable as usual.

I have not accomplished as much in my life as a writer as I would like to lately, but this is a new week and perhaps I will get more writing done as well.


As for life in general, we had an interesting occurrence this week. I glanced in the back yard to find it littered with white patches. Being about 65 degrees, snow seemed unlikely. Upon closer inspection, we realized the dog had carried a pile of socks outside and scattered them around the backyard. Fortunately, it was only socks.

Hopefully this week will bring a move, some more great books, successful writing, pleasant homeschooling, and even beading if I'm lucky.

What have you been reading? Was it any good?

A Day in the Life…

This morning, the alarm went off a little too early. I wanted to role over and go back to sleep. Of course, my alarm is across the room from the bed to make it more difficult. So I cut off the alarm and went to wake my oldest son. I reminded him I would need his help this morning because I had somewhere I needed to be. Of course, instead of getting dressed, he sat around complaining he was cold. Meanwhile, my youngest screamed to the top of his lungs, “I don’t need to go to school today.” I was getting him ready for the parents’ morning out program at the church. He kicked and screamed while I put his clothes on. Then, I went to check on the other child. My oldest couldn’t find matching sock. Matching socks are a perpetual problem in our house. My have a real, live sock-monster. She is a lovely red dachshund and she likes to steal socks and eat them. While I was tending the elder, the younger undressed. From there, the whole day erupted into one big comedy of errors. Eldest son dropped the juice on the kitchen floor, not a cup of juice, but the whole two liter jug, soaking his socks. We needed to make a sandwich for the lunch box, but the cat climbed on the counter last night and ripped open the new loaf of bread and nibbled across the top. (Really I do feed my pets.) Somehow, we made it out door. And that was my morning (up to 8:45am that is).

So this post won’t run ten pages and get really boring, I am just going to give the highlights of the rest of the day. I went to the new house (I’ve mentioned we’re moving.) to clean up the yard. It contained ten big trash bags full of trash and three years worth of leaves. My hands hurt from raking. There appears to be a cat in the crawl space for the attic. I’d love to know how it got there. We are having a fence put in and there is a pine tree at about a forty-five degree angle right over where the fence needs to be.

The carpet isn’t in the house because the wall isn’t mudded yet. The wall wasn’t mudded because the gas was off so there was no heat. The gas is now on, but the thermostat fell apart. So, we still don’t have carpet and we are supposed to move this weekend.

Other than errands, karate, meals, and writing I have about summed up my day. I hope we can go to bed early tonight.

Life Changing Books (continued from Saturday)

I have to go back to my blog from Saturday long enough to mention my favorite book on home schooling. The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer is a must read for parents considering home schooling their children. My approach to teaching my son is eclectic and not classical, but this book has so much wonderful information it could help any parent. It describes the way children think and learn at different ages. It suggests various curriculums to use with your child and how to schedule your time. Everything is presented as a series of suggestions, not the way it has to be done. Regardless of the method you choose, this book is filled with great ideas. The final part of the book talks about why to home school, how to handle arguments from loved ones, how to make sure your child is socialized, planning, record keeping, testing, and even how to prepare you child for college and put together an application. The book ends with resources. I have never read this book cover to cover and probably never will, but it lives on my bed stand. I refer to it at least two or three times a month. If you are considering teaching your child at home, you should find a copy of this book and spend some time looking through it.

Life Changing Books (Nonfiction Today)

What books changed you life? Right now, I’m thinking about a practical everyday sense. After reading a good book, you never see the world in quite the same way, but which books (Other than the Bible, Koran, Torah, etc) have changed the way you raise your kids or write or wash your dishes? I have two in mind. One changed my writing forever and the other revolutionized my home schooling methods.

If you write and have never read On Writing by Stephen King, stop reading this and run to the store right now. I have been writing all of my life, but I never tried to write anything for publication until I had my first son. I have to admit, my first attempts were bad. I couldn’t get my ideas to go on the paper the way they were in my head. After some frustration, I took one of my sister’s books off of the shelf. It was On Writing. I didn’t read much Stephen King because I don’t like to be scared. My sister read almost everything he wrote.

The first part of the book is inspirational. It describes Stephen King’s life. He didn’t have all of the advantages you think of when you want to be a writer. (If I could just quit my job and write all day… If I had a nice orderly office… If I had a better computer…) Then, you find out he worked for sixteen years before he had his big break. I didn’t know whether to cheer or cry. It gave me hope since I had been working for over a year but fear as well. I hope it won’t take me sixteen years to get my work out there.

The second part of the books is a little more practical. Stephen King reveals the “secrets” of how to write. Many other books teach these as well, but King has a way of explaining things that makes sense. I will never think of adverbs in the same way again. He also talks about how to write a book. Instead of saying you have to write a certain way, King gives many different examples and allows writers the freedom of doing it their own way. So much of his book helped me and changed the way I feel every time I sit at the keyboard.

I’ll save my home schooling book for another day. My oldest son just fell off the kitchen table and is begging for a Band-Aid. What book(s) have changed your life?

Where and What Do You Write?

I write wherever there is a clean spot to sit my laptop. Since we are in the process of moving, my computer has migrated from the desk to the kitchen table to the coffee table. We seem to have an allergy to open horizontal space around here, even on the floor. If I manage to clean off a spot on the desk, bed, floor, or most anywhere, something explodes right in that spot. This morning, I took a break from cleaning the bathroom. While I ran down to grab a drink (just tea, nothing exciting), my trashcan jumped into the floor and spit all of its contents across the room. The toddler and cat had NOTHING to do with it. When we get moved, I will have an office and I plan to lock the kids and pets out (probably the husband too). Then, perhaps my writing will be a little less disjointed.

What I write is a little more simple. I started with picture books thinking it had to be pretty easy. I was wrong. I am not good at picture books, not at all. So I moved to mid-grade. I found my voice in chapter books, mid-grade, and young adult. At this point, my best work is my chapter books. Soon, I hope to have a finished mid-grade people would actually enjoy reading.

Okay, I have been turned into a jungle gym. That must be my cue to do something else. So, where and what do YOU write?

Changes

I have put off starting a website and a blog for too long, so here I sit with my living room piled in boxes leaning like the the Tower of Pisa (not because I stacked them that way, but I have a toddler who loves to climb) starting a blog. I must be crazy, but anyone who knows me would tell you I should have figured that out a long time ago.
You know, I have a manuscript out called Changes. It is a chapter book about a boy who is going to have a little sister. He is less than thrilled about the whole idea, but he has a lot of growing up to do himself.
Well, I hate to cut this short, but my toddler is trying to escape out of the window. I'll be back soon to share the chaos and joys of life, motherhood, writing, and home-school. I can't wait to hear from you too.