Just in Case You Wondered...

I am on vacation for the next two weeks! My favorite part of the road trip so far, was the glowing guts on our windshield at dusk last night (poor lightning bugs) when we were driving 90 mph in Wyoming. YUM.

Blogging will be sporadic, but I will try! For now, I have a date with a wakeboard!

Peace Out!

Interview with Jenny Storm!

Hello All,

My fellow writing colleague and good friend, Jenny Storm, is here to talk to us about her new YA release, DIXIE DUST RUMORS. Be sure and check out the Jenny Storm webpage by clicking here. Here’s a quick blurb about her upcoming book from eTreasures Publishing, available in ebook now. Click here to purchase your copy today!

Who could be luckier than a young girl whose father trains racehorses? That is, until
false accusations could cause the loss of not only their livelihood and the horses they
love, but their dreams. Due to the belief that horse racing is a crooked sport, even
unsubstantiated rumors can be fatal to a trainer’s career.

Twelve-year-old Rose Olen is
determined to find out why a journalist printed innuendos that make her father’s
business practices sound unethical without checking facts. Aided by her friends Maya
Sanchez and Libby Kim, and her younger brother Simon, they investigate the charges
and come up with a scheme to foil the reporter. They juggle responsibilities at school,
the contempt and ridicule from other students, and responsibilities at the track as they
search for the truth behind the Dixie Dust Rumors.

And here's a Q&A with Jenny Storm:

What was the inspiration for this book?

JS: Several years ago, an excellent jockey was accused of impropriety in a big race by
a so-called journalist with only two published articles to his name. It was ridiculous and
infuriating, a way for this pseudo-journalist to get attention during a prominent race. Any
four-year-old could see there was nothing to the story. The racing community
investigated, as they must, and the jockey was cleared. But the days and weeks during
the investigation gave the vindictive ample opportunity to unfairly malign the horse, the
jockey, the trainer, the owners, etc. The situation made me angry. I’d wanted to write a
YA set against horse racing, and I started playing the “what if?” game. The story came
together very quickly, although, as it developed, it unfolded very differently than what
inspired it. Which is as it should be -- I’m writing fiction!

This is your first Young Adult novel. What inspired you to write YA?

JS: I’ve always loved reading YA, and I wanted to write something along the lines of what I read. I didn’t want it to be too saccharine, the way some of them are, but not too dark, either, the way so many YA go recently.

Is there a specific inspiration behind the character names in your story? What is your process for character name selection?

JS: The characters often come to me already named. Sometimes, in fantasy, I’ll look in a particular culture and find a name with a particular meaning relevant to the story, but in DIXIE DUST, the characters arrived and told me who they were.

What research did you do for this story?

JS: It grew out of the writing I already did about horse racing, and the time I spent at the race track. It’s difficult to be in that world – a very demanding life. Everything you do is scheduled around the needs of the horses. A lot of the research was spent hanging out seeing how a day works. I changed a few things to serve the needs of the story and the focus on how what happens at the track affects Rose and Simon at school, but in the life of someone in this profession, the horses must always come first.

Your protagonist is a twelve-year old girl. Was it difficult to “get into” Rose’s head?

JS: Not really. I think she’s emotionally younger than a lot of girls her age nowadays. She’s more like the 12 year olds back when I was 12 – which is quite awhile ago! ;) She’s got a good sense of right and wrong, and she’s very compassionate. Sometimes, she’s too compassionate, seeing all sides of an issue and worrying. She must be a Libra!

Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book?

JS: I wanted to keep it on the younger, more innocent side of the age range, just because there’s so much in the darker, grittier, more realistic (even in paranormal) arena. I didn’t want to “write down” to anyone, but I wanted my characters to still get to be kids, which I think a lot of kids don’t get to do anymore. There’s interest in dating and boys and crushes and all of that, but she and her friends aren’t sneaking around having sex in the basement. It’s not yet an issue for them, even though there are plenty of twelve-year-olds out there having sex. She’s simply not one of them. She understands how all the piece fit together, but she’s not at the point where she’s ready to experiment. Rose has a lot of household responsibilities someone her age might not otherwise have because her mom died, her Dad has to be at the track at all hours, and she’s got a younger brother. She does a lot of the cooking, she worries about running the house. But I didn’t want her to try to dress like a pop star or spend all her time at the mall, either. Honestly, most of the teen and about-to-be teens I come into contact with might act like they don’t care about much, but they’re very politically and socially aware and active. I was in a mall last week (oh horrors) to get something at the Apple Store, and a group of young teens were wandering around talking about the conflict in Iran, really discussing it, following it on Twitter, etc. There’s a real sense of social justice emerging in that age group that I don’t feel is represented very often. On the other hand, I didn’t want to preach. As I sad before, she’s more like a twelve-year old of the 1970s than a twelve-year old post 9/11. I wanted to give her a lot of room to grow.

Honestly, I worried more about language, etc. because parents tend to freak out more than kids. We weren’t allow to swear at home (my father said it was a lazy mis-use of language – take the time to find the word with the actual meaning you want to convey rather than slotting in a curse). I was never forbidden to read ANYTHING growing up, but I had to be prepared to discuss it in depth, and my parents would explain why they disagreed with something in a book, whether it was on a level of value or ethics or language or whatever. Too often, parents believe if they forbid their kids to read something, they’re protecting them. The truth is, if the kid wants to read it, he or she will find a way. You might as well encourage it and then discuss why it doesn’t fit in with your own beliefs.

It is clear you are fond of horses and horseracing. How did this come about?

JS: I’ve loved horses since I was a little kid, although I didn’t get a chance to learn how to ride until I was 15, and I haven’t ridden much since. I’d have to go back and start from scratch. I love the individual personality of each horse, the unique qualities, the beauty. People don’t realize how intelligent most horses are. They are prey, not predators, so they respond to the world in that way, but they are also capable of enormous trust and love. And most horses have a tremendous sense of humor. There are definitely things that need to be changed and improved in the sport, but, at its best, it’s pretty wonderful.

Other than thoroughbreds, my other favorite breed of horse is the Morgan. I want to write more about Morgans in the future. Talk about curious and funny – they’re spectacular.

Jenny Storm publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction.
She’s been a fan of thoroughbred racing since she was seven years old, and has written about the sport since 1999. She loves and collects YA mystery series from the early 20th century, such as Nancy Drew, Beverly Gray, Judy Bolton, Ruth Fielding, et al. She wanted to grow up to be either Nancy Drew or Beverly Gray, but writing many characters’ adventures is even better. Visit her webpage:
www.devonellingtonwork.com/jennystorm.html and her MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/jennystormya.

Running to go get my car's oil changed! Why I set it for 8:30 am is beyond me. Maybe because I just need to get it DONE.

I'm on vacation in two days!!!

Got Guns??

Little, Brown unveiled the new "New Moon" book cover today. Okay, I know little Taylor Lautner is only 17 years old, but DAYUM, the boy looks pretty good! Look at those arms! From what I heard, it isn't Photoshop, either. (Well, I'm sure the Wolf tat is...)
Let me just say, I knew ZERO 17-year olds at my high school as buff as him.

NONE.

Well, maybe....one.

"That Sounds Gross."

This weekend...sucked. AND I had a nice migraine for Father's Day. Excedrin Migraine didn't even do anything--I had to go lie down in complete darkness and quiet to get rid of the nausea.

Fun, I know.

Okay, so, my husband can drive me NUTS, sometimes. Why? Meals.

Lately, I've taken to planning out meals, so I make only one (two at the most) trips to the grocery store a week. So, I have it all planned down to the littlest detail, and I buy accordingly.

THEN, Hubby asks me during the course of the day "So, what's for dinner?"

Me: "Homemade Lasagna, salad, and garlic bread."

Hubby: "That sounds gross. What else can you make?"

Me: AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! I HAVE EVERYTHING FOR STINKIN' LASAGNA!

Hubby: "Can you make something else?? Please?"

I could make anything. ANYTHING, and it will sound "gross" to him. Yes, sometimes there are unfortunate situations, where I have pizza for dinner and Hubby, unbeknownst to me, will have had pizza for lunch. So, pizza for dinner WOULD be "gross." But most of the time, whatever I'm making just sounds "gross" and is there anything else we can have???

Nope. Not anymore. I am going to make dinner, NOT tell Hubby what we're having, and hopefully he'll be so hungry he'll be forced to eat it. And my new answer to the "what's for dinner" question?"

"Wait and see!" or "I'm not sure yet, I'll think of something."

HA HA HA HA HA I will thwart the "That Sounds Gross" statement! I will not rearrange my plans just because something "sounds gross."

HA!!!

Ugh.

I had this fabulous post this morning (really!) and I lost it because of internet going out. BOO.

Man, did it storm last night. We could hear our sump pump going off all night. About fifty times at least. What's scary is, the power kept flickering on and off, and when the power goes out, the sump pump doesn't work. SCARY.

But it only flickered off twice and came back on right away, so we were safe. Our poor flowers took a beating, though. We pulled most of them close to the house so the high winds wouldn't knock them over. CRAZY.

So, I'm a bit deflated over my lost post. Sorry I just don't have it in me to try again. Have a good weekend and Happy Father's Day, all!

Thing One is a Drama Queen

I have to say, I'm loving these basketball camps. They are really drilling the kids, and making them work. Thing One, who is in pretty good shape, always comes limping out of her two hours with her face all splotchy and sweaty. So, I KNOW she's worked hard.

Yesterday, however, she came out very s-l-o-w-l-y, as if every step was causing excruciating pain. I rolled down the window and hissed "STOP THAT!" to her, and she snapped out of it and got into the car. Drama queen.

She proceeded to tell me that every muscle ached, and her feet ached and her ankles hurt and her quads were screaming and some of the girls had even cried during the camp, because it was so hard.

I'm loving it. These ladies are going to be her high school coaches, in two years. Our high school here is HUGE and vastly competitive. You should see the walls and walls of trophies. Thing One has to be her best if she's going to get a spot on the team. She was wearing a rubber bracelet she'd been awarded that said "best defense" on it. I was proud of her. At least she's rising to the occasion, rather than quitting or crying about it. She's tough. (Well, until she gets home and falls apart and whines for ice and food and her bed. Ha ha ha.)

Like a fool I let her go to a sleepover last night. I told her to be in bed by eleven, because she still has camp. I wonder if she obeyed me? I guess we'll find out when I pick her up today.

I can't believe we are leaving for vacation in a week! Two weeks on the road and in hotels and the family lake cabin (not ours, Hubby's family's) and we'll be so ready to be "done" being on vacation!

:-)

Chores Schmores.

So, things are going swimmingly so far. I know, Summer is only in its first week, and soon my kids will be whining and complaining about how b-o-r-e-d they are and how it's too hot to play outside and all the video games are boring, and they want to do something fun, and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. And I will be going insanely NUTS.

But for now, we're keeping busy with sports camps and chores. I'm a mean mom this summer. Instead of a reward system for chores, I have what I call a "Deny" system. It's very simple. You have to cross off all the chores each day that are in your own personal square. If you don't, or if you miss any, I will "Deny" you privileges the next day. Privileges such as the Wii, computer, playing with friends, going to bed late, etc..

Works like a charm. Last night, the boys were getting ready for bed and I noticed they had crossed everything off except "tidy up room before bed." They groaned and asked me if they could do it in the morning, since they were TIRED.

I smiled at them and said "Sure, no problem. Only since you didn't get that chore done today, you're both grounded from the Wii tomorrow, ALL DAY LONG. So, sure, you don't need to tidy this room today if you don't want to."

They tidied their room and had the lights out in under four minutes flat.

I LOVE the "Deny" system. Rewards work on little kids. But on older kids, taking away stuff can be much more convincing!

Ugh, time to go rescue the floor, my two year old has finished his yogurt.

Summatime.

Okay, yesterday was a bit on the "crazy" side, but at least when I came home, it was to a clean house. I like having three older kids who can keep the house clean with assigned chores. Makes my life much easier. And my two-year old always has someone willing to keep an eye on him if I need to get something done or go somewhere.

And here I was, dreading summer!

Then again, we're still in the "honeymoon" phase. ;-)

I am bummed. Two of my oldest and dearest friends are visiting our hometown this summer, when I WON'T be there! We'll just be missing each other by a few weeks! That really stinks. But at least we can keep in touch with email--it's a wonderful thing to have!

I am a pro at basketball camps now, drop one off, then pick up and drop off at the same time, and pick up again. No more wandering around wondering where everything is. The high school here is HUGE. It literally has two campuses, one for freshman/sophomores and one for juniors/seniors. Did I mention it was HUGE? Luckily we sort of know the layout because we had tennis lessons here last year.

Today should be a quiet day. I plan to spend a couple of hours on the flower beds (you would think once we put STONE in, the weeds would give up, but nooooooo, they find a way up through the weed-resistant tarp!) and catching up with laundry. Oh, and working out for an hour. Because while we are on our road trip/vacation we will be staying in hotels with water parks and pools. And I don't want to have people running away screaming at the sight of me in a swimsuit (or taking pics of me for Youtube under the caption "Thunder Thighs At Random Hotels.") :-D

That's it for me today. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather! Summer is here! (Sorry, Mik!)

Quickie Post...

I've found the definition of JOY. Guess what it is??? Joy is:

Three hours in a car with a cranky toddler and NO snacks, buying emergency basketball shoes at two different places (because LO AND BEHOLD they'd outgrown them) and THEN whisking them off to back-to-back basketball camps.

THAT is joy. And my two-year old finally fell asleep as I was pulling into the garage.

Typical.

So, I'm home for an hour and a half and then I need to pick up the last basketball camper. Then I have to mow the lawn. And work out. And buy groceries. And have a nervous breakdown.

Happy Monday, all!

Interview with Colin Galbraith

Hello Everyone!

My fellow writing colleague and good friend, Colin Galbraith, is here to talk to us about his brand new release, STELLA. Be sure and check out the official page for Stella, by clicking here.
Here’s a quick blurb about his upcoming book from Eternal Press, available in print and ebook now. Click here to read an excerpt and purchase your copy today!

RANDOLPH LOWE is a distinguished British Secret Agent in the twilight of his career. When he is handed a mission to kill one of the world’s least accessible, yet most wanted assassins, he never expected a beautiful young woman with the alias, STELLA.

Stella leads him around the world as she picks off her marks with ease, during which time Randolph grows infatuated and falls in love. But Stella has her own dark secret. Forced into making a terrible sacrifice, she is destined to live her life as a lone killer.
The love of one man may be enough to free her, and only that man can save her now… but only if he can find her…

And now here's a Q&A with Colin:

What was the inspiration for Stella?
The idea for STELLA first came to me in 1988. I was listening to an album of the same name by Yello, and I developed a series of images to certain songs in my mind as I listened to the album. I always promised myself I would one day write these images down into a cohesive text, but it wasn’t until 2007 that I felt my writing had developed enough that I could give it a bash.
I began by writing down these images, and from that I used the music to further inspire the gaps in between. Slowly, a story began to unfold until I had a first draft. It took a lot more work to make it into what it is today and I’m delighted with how it turned out.

Why write a paranormal mystery; you’ve never written in this genre before?
It wasn’t meant to be a paranormal book. My original idea was for the book to be a spy novella, something with its roots in the mysteries of underground eastern Europe. As the ideas began to develop on paper, though, the book began to take on its own form and it made sense for a paranormal aspect to come into it. I can’t honestly see it working without it now.

Did you enjoy writing in the paranormal mystery genre?
Very much. Looking back, my writing has diversified naturally over the past couple of years. My favoured “genre” is crime, but I have found the two other most enjoyable types of writing I have indulged in has been paranormal (through STELLA), and children’s poetry, through my e-chapbook, Silly Poems for Wee People Vol.1.
At the start of 2009 I vowed I would write more about the things that made me happy, and since making that decision and sticking to it, I’ve had more success and fun with my writing than any other year.

What research went into writing Stella?
Not as much as you might think. Most research concerned the locations in the book that I hadn’t been to, but which I wanted to appear in the book. It’s fast moving story and takes the reader all around the world, so while I could write vividly about Prague, Amsterdam and London, I knew little of San Francisco, Brooklyn NY and Fes, Morocco.
There was also a bit of research into demons and black roses, but mostly it’s all made up - the kind of writing I enjoy most.

Will we see more of Stella and Randolph?
STELLA was originally meant as a personal writing experiment and I never meant, or expected it, to ever be published. However, now it has been, and having enjoyed working with Stella and Randolph so much, I want to do more with them.
Both Stella and Randolph are such strong characters and there are so many questions I have now STELLA is behind me, that I want to find out more about them. And where the author has questions, so too I expect will the readers.
I’ve already begun work on the sequel and am planning on making their story into a trilogy. The book I am writing just now - the sequel to STELLA - is called BACCARA BURNING.

Baccara Burning sounds interesting - what’s it about?
I’m not going to give a lot away - obviously - but it will take Randolph and Stella’s relationship to the extreme. It will be a real test of their love and trust, and through this we will get to know the real them. Both have lived dark and hidden lives, but in Baccara Burning the cloaks are gone and there is no hiding any longer.
The book starts in Sorrento, but ultimately I want to bring them to my home town of Edinburgh, throw in a local ghost legend or two and see what happens.

What else are you working on?
Other than the sequel to STELLA, I have various projects on the go. I have one novel and a novella both in the editing stage, and I’m working on a new chapbook of poetry to be released later in the year. I also have plans to complete writing a crime novel I began near the end of last year. What with all that and writing gig reviews for News of the World, it’s a busy time!

COLIN GALBRAITH’S popularity as a contemporary Scottish writer has grown rapidly over the past few years. He is a prolific published writer of fiction, poetry, non-fiction articles and reviews, and has been earmarked by the Scottish local Press as one to watch.

Bread and Procrastination.

Tomorow's blog will feature an interview with my friend, writer Colin Galbraith, whose novel STELLA just came out! Tune in tomorrow for details!

SO, I decided "to heck with it" yesterday and I baked some of the bread dough I have languishing in my fridge.

YUM.

It was...perfect. My kids freaked when they came home from school and had to have toasted bread all around with butter. I let them eat it all up. It's amazing to me how four simple ingredients can taste so darn good together! I used a flat baking sheet to slide the dough onto the baking stone, but I've ordered a pizza peel to make it easier. And we LOVE to make homemade pizza, so the peel will come in handy.

I just might have to make another loaf today! ;-)

Last day of school today. Of course I forgot completely and had to run to Target at 7am and get candles and giftcards for the teachers. Yeah. Totally spaced that one! Or unwittingly procrastinated it until the last minute. Ooops.

My life is laundry and cleaning the house today. I've put it off far too long and I love that "sparkly house" feeling. I just hope I can finish it today--I have the attention span of a three-year old.

No, seriously. I do.

I Need a Round Tuit.

My mom has one. It's a cute little embroidered round framed "Tuit." Because we all want to do things, once we get a "round tuit." (get it? "around to it?" ha hah) Yeah. Shut up.

I need one of those thingys. I have a stack of books I'm dying to read, but I haven't gotten a round tuit.

Same with my "project box" in which I have tons of unfinished projects (for example, inside I have a plush Mario from Super Mario Brothers that's needed it's hat stitched back on it's head for...say...THREE months, now...). Yeah. I haven't gotten a Round Tuit.

I just bought this fabulous book:

Have I done anything with it? I have a container of bread dough, just sitting in my fridge. (I mixed it up Monday) Haven't gotten around to actually making the bread.

The scenes I need to write for my sequel. Nope. The call to the landscapers because our buried downspouts have separated from our house? Nope. The garage that needs a MASSIVE sweep-out? Nope.

I am hoping after this last week of school things will calm down somewhat, but what was I THINKING?? Starting Monday, I have one kid in Basketball camp from ten to noon every day, another kid in Basketball camp from noon to two, and another kid in Volleyball camp from 12:30 to 2:30.

I will be living in my car. So, I won't be getting around to doing any of the things I need to "get around" to doing.

Phhhhbbbtttt.

Oh, and I got everything cleared up with the teacher. (See previous post.) Apparently I was on the receiving end of some "elaboration" on Thing One's part--she wasn't accused of cheating during the test, but of TALKING. Which I do believe, because Thing One is a chatterbox who could talk the hind leg off a mule. The stinker.

DRAMA.

I'm four days into a Five-day Z-pack (sinus infection) and I still feel crappy. AND I'm taking enough Advil to kill a rhinocerous, just to stave off the sinus pain. MAN, this must be a bad one!

UGH.

If I don't feel better by Friday, I'm getting NEW stuff. Usually the Z-pack kills whatever I have pretty quickly.

Thing One came home upset yesterday, because her teacher had accused her of cheating during a test. Apparently she was stuck on a math problem, so she decided to look around the room. Not specifically AT anything, just to "think." Well, the next thing she knows, she's getting called up to the teacher and she gets chewed out for "copying off her neighbor."

Now, I know my daughter. She is one of those kids who pretty much does everything right, and when she does do something dumb, she has MASSIVE guilt over it, and eventually confesses it. She is a good girl. She is not a cheater. So, I believe her when she tells me she didn't. Also, I know her well enough to know when she's keeping something from me, or withholding stuff. She gets this "guilty" look. You know that look. Your kid totally gives that look whenever they lie to you. My kids (thank HEAVEN) are horrible liars. I can always tell, because they get the GUILTY LOOK on their faces.

Thing One was sincere. She wasn't looking at her neighbor's paper. But the teacher chewed her out in front of the class and made her cry. I have put a phone call in to the teacher. I want to hear what SHE has to say. I am going to keep my temper in check. I am not going to do the "not MY child!!!" thing, but I am going to let her know Thing One isn't like that.

I don't need this drama, not now. I've got enough going on in my life.

I would like a very long cruise, please, to someplace warm and sunny. BY MYSELF.

Insert Witty Title Here---I Just Don't Have It In Me.

Favorite song on my Ipod right now: Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" by the cast members of GLEE. Quite possibly the best redo I've ever heard! Not to mention Hubby and I laughed our rear-ends off watching the pilot episode!!! Can't wait until the reg season starts!

Okay, what is up with the bloody weather? It's like freaking MARCH here, in good old Wisconsin. I went to a soccer game at 9am on Saturday and nearly froze my toes off--it was cold, and with windchill probably in the low 40's. It's been very cool as of late, and we'll have the occasional 70+ degree day, but then it gets back down into the 50's again. WTHeck????

I'm actually in a pretty foul mood this morning. Lots to do this week, and Hubby is out of town AGAIN so I won't have his help. His hospital procedure went fine on Friday, and he spent the weekend recuperating. Now, he's off to New York. Bleah.

We're caving. We love being connected to the internet. We're going to get Sprint broadband for our roadtrip at the end of the month, so we can be "hooked up" in our car. Aren't we bad? But actually, this is better. Whenever I take my HP mini to sports lessons or practices, 98% of the time I can't find a wireless signal or WiFi to latch on to, so this will ensure I do. AWESOME. It's just like a little thumb-drivey thingy you plug in and VOILA--internet! I just hope it works when we're driving through Wyoming and West Yellowstone!

Hubby decided he was taking another week off, so we'll be on vacation for nearly three weeks. I'm cancelling the kids' tennis lessons. Now they'd be missing three of five weeks instead of one week out of five, so it's not worth it to me. I just hope the coach gives me my money back. He's already cashed my check and everything! :-/

That's it for today. I have to run run run around. Last week of school! Yikes!

Time is ZIPPING...

Stayed up late last night working on school projects. It's my own fault, I was so busy getting the basement done this week, I didn't really help out. On the menu? One state presentation (she's been working on it all year but I had to help with finishing touches) and one Bearded Dragon, complete with habitat.

Thing Three and I printed pictures of the Bearded Dragon (a lizard) off the internet, and we all contributed: Thing One made an Origami head, I decorated it, Thing Three cut out arms and legs and we used a water bottle for the body, wrapped in tape and decorated. I have to say, he looks pretty awesome. I didn't get pictures, though! I should have thought to do that. Darn. Hubby was even impressed with the way it looked so lifelike. We even "posed" it on a block of firewood, and Thing Three colored a jungle background on a big piece of cardboard, and I used a plate stand to prop it up behind.

Okay, I REALLY should have taken some pictures! He doesn't get the project back, it will stay on display in the library for the entire summer.

Oh well. Hubby is home for the day, because he's going for a test in the hospital (routine) and we are both going to see Thing One's Alabama state presentation. She originally wanted to have a bowl of peanuts for her viewers to snack on, but since peanut allergies are so rampant at our school, I bought a bunch of Swedish Fish, since fishing is a big sport in Alabama. She told me that kids usually bring snacks or food with their presentations. She wasn't kidding. When I helped her into the school this morning, there were parents with large foil-covered pots, bags of food, etc.

Heh heh, my Swedish Fish were zero effort, and they'll be just as fun! I'm so baaaaaddd...

The last soccer game of the season is Saturday, and next week is the last week of school. CRAZY. I can't believe the year is half over.

LIFE IS TOO DANG SHORT, PEOPLE!

The Basement Storage is CLEAN.

My back is killing me, every muscle is sore from lugging about 39473 bags of trash, debris, etc. PLUS boxes and boxes of expired food storage up two flights of stairs to the garage. I made my kids do the light stuff, but most of it was just too heavy for them.

I sorted. I organized. I tackled. I lugged. I swept. I vacuumed, I packed, I broke down boxes, I killed about 956 spiders. I got attacked by one of the aforementioned spiders--it seemed to think jumping on my arm while I reached up and put stuff on a shelf was a good idea.

R.I.P. Spider.

I had another spider drop into my hair from above (mercifully unbeknownst to me at the time) and finally run down my face as I bent down to pack a tub full of Christmas decorations that I STILL hadn't put away from Christmas.

Number of showers I took: 5

Number of Spider attacks: 2

Number of "ICKGETITOFFME" Bug dances I jigged: 3

Number of black bags filled with clothes for Goodwill: 19 (and counting!)

Goodwill is going to LOVE me. My husband is going to LOVE me. I love the open, airy, organized feel the back storage rooms have, now.

I need a nap.

I also need to throw away at least half of the &$#! back there, because it's junk. But for now, all my junk is neatly packed in rows and rows of large plastic tubs in the labyrinth that is my basement storage. I'll tackle those another year.

Hooray for me!

Game Day.

It's Game Day today at my kids' school. They will be outside most of the day. I equipped them with sunglasses and sunscreen...and a little hair-dousing with "Sun In."

Hey, don't scoff--they have naturally blonde hair--I'm just helping them along a little, especially if they are spending all day out in the sun! :-)

It could be WORSE. I could be the mom, who, when, in the early eighties all her boys had the "Dororthy Hamill" haircut, used a CURLING IRON to curl their hair under so it would fall right! Yes, on her boys. Don't ask me who it was, I am pleading the fifth. And if you guess right, I'll only deny it.

(But yes, I'm related to her! )

AHEMMOVINGONANYWAY, Thing One (who will be twelve in October) said she had a dilemma, because two of the boys on her Game Day team, like her.

ME: "Like you? As in a friend? What's wrong with that?"

HER: "No, they like me more. They told me. And I know they weren't kidding because they haven't really talked to me since and they blush all the time when I talk to them."

ME: "O-kay...so, you're not encouraging either of them, right?"

HER: "Well, I really like XXXX. He's liked me since third grade. He's twelve already. He's really tall and he even wears cologne."

ME: (after a long pause) That's nice, dear. Now go back up to your room. I will be Homeschooling you from now on."

I have a feeling I will be having many more scary conversations like this with my daughter. Heaven help us all. Maybe she'll fall on her head during the egg toss or something, and all the boys her age will see it, and think she's a klutz-- and decide they don't like her any more.

A mother can hope, anyway!

Impatient? ME????

I am...not the most patient of people. I tell my kids, probably fifteen times a day to "hurry up." Hurry up and eat your breakfast, the bus is coming. Hurry and brush your teeth, it's bedtime. Hurry up! I'll be fifty before you finish that math worksheet!

Yeah, I like things to happen, and I like them to happen YESTERDAY.

I need to stop it. I get impatient when I wait in lines. I get mad when the muffins don't bake fully during the allotted time. I get disgruntled when a s-l-o-w car pulls in front of me (I could actually murder the ones who drive UNDER the speed limit!) and don't even get me started on restaurant service and fast food lines.

I never used to be like this. I was a LOT more easygoing. I guess I need to relax. Maybe because I've spent thirteen years married to another VERY impatient person, who wants everything done yesterday, too. We're a pair.

Patience is a virtue...and I want some of it RIGHT NOW!!! NOW I TELL YOU!!!

Help.