Ok, I'm just going to do it: VOTE FOR ME!

And TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

Alice in the Palace: The Real Life Story of a Part-Time Princess

This contest is for me to get published electronically.  In addition, my daughter's elementary school will get a full blown electronic picture book library for free!  The company is called MeeGenius and this is what they specialize in, electronic picture books.

My story is a real story, about a princess.  I hope it conveys the fact that princesses aren't about being pretty and getting the prince, but about doing the right thing and not worrying about your looks.  My critique group said they liked it because it wasn't about being a pretty princess, cancelling out all those princess stories out there.

I am so far behind the top vote getter, I don't think I'm going to make it to the final round.  That round would let me be edited and get pretty pictures.  I just would really, really, really like to get my book edited and illustrated, just to see what it's like, for once.  Although, I'm not going to scrap the book.  It could probably use a lot more work.  But I think the idea is solid and could maybe be sold.  I know I can and need to get better.  Maybe I'll go to my picture book guru and see if she'll give me a critique.

But, if you find it in your heart to post it with your 1000+ blog followers and tell them to all go vote for mine, just to make my dream come true, I would be eternally grateful.  I might even knit you some wrist warmers.  Because I've picked that up in my spare time, too.



From Lion Brand website



What am I doing with my time?

What am I doing with my time, you wonder?  I guess living up the forties.  So many firsts.


Started my first weight training program.  Never would have thought of myself as a weight lifter.  I am going to be STRONG. No joke.

Started coaching a Future Problem Solving team.  First time ever.  Future Problem Solving, you ask?  Well, click the link and find out more about it.  I knew as much about it as you know right now.  But it is a pretty cool process.  And I work with some pretty cool sixth grade kids.  Yes, sixth graders?!  Can you believe it?  They are neat little people though.

Started my first year as the mother of a middle schooler.  Oh, boy.  It is simpler and more complicated.  He seems challenged enough.  We are.  I feel a little more lost.  But he still gives me hugs and doesn't mind holding my hand in public still, so I feel blessed.

Got our first Wii!  Well, ok, it's not the first gaming system in our house, but we finally joined the rest of the world.

Bought a new camera, the first time in years!

When the casing is falling off in pieces from your old camera and has been doing so for about 24 months, you really should bite the bullet and get something else.

Joined my first writer's organization AND attended a writing retreat!  SCBWI and SCBWI-Wisconsin is an awesome place to be involved.  We loved our critiquer and her points on our book were fabulous and just the push we needed to work harder on it.  We're still working on it, but now, we understand that books take YEARS.  Yes, YEARS.  When one lady says one of her picture books was twelve years in the making, well, we've been at it about 3 and a half, so we still have a lot of work to do.  People on the writing websites say join the groups, attend the conferences and get out there and meet people!  They are so right!  You just have to quit hiding in your little writer's desk and go to the conferences.  Of course, yes, that's putting money out there before you even get published, but all those who are experienced are willing to help and be your cheerleading section.  And you meet other new people, who are so fresh and excited and you can be excited with each other.  Who knew there were so many fascinating stories to be told?

Speaking of stories to tell, I also pushed myself and wrote a picture book (in addition to the middle grade I am working on with the best author partner in the world, yes I'm biased).  I entered it in a contest!  The book is found here and if you like it, please pass it around the blog-o-sphere and encourage your friends, family, relatives and the guy down the street to stop by my story page and "like" it too!  Click the caption below for more on the rules and MeeGenius!

MeeGenius! rules and website

Thanks for playing!!!

Edith Wharton: American Jane Austen?

Edith Wharton, writing nearly a century later than Jane, is what I believe to be a cynical version of Jane Austen. At least in the House of Mirth.  She can write about the nuances of behavior and looks, the confusion between men and women about love, power, or intent in the confines of society rules.  But I find Edith a bit more cynical.  I don't believe she means for her heroine to triumph, even though I'm only 1/3 of the way through the novel.  We shall see.  But I would recommend checking out her works.  Next on my list is the Age of Innocence.

Horrible Histories

My new favorite past time (ha, ha, no pun intended) is watching clips from Horrible Histories, a British children's show about the icky and creepy stuff from the past.


Be sure to check out all the offerings on YouTube you can find. It will entertain you for hours!

For someone who loves historic clothing of all kinds

Only thing I wish they did in this video was to label the slower version with the actual years they were hitting as they danced back to 2011.  Otherwise this is a fun romp.

Thinking me like the new Blogger interface

I am getting sucked into more computer media.  I've been using the new Blogger interface (what the hell, be an early adopter) and find it is fascinating to get a look at which posts have gotten the most views.  So much easier than trying to use a site counter.  Now I know which posts have attracted the most looks.  Funny.  I will have to send the Blogger folks some feedback.  Maybe this will get me back in the game.  I was going to be all chronically about my life as a forty-year-old.  Turns out pretty much like a 39 year old.  So it's been hard to see where I should go with this blog.  Maybe the new feedback info will help.

Look out world.

Questions of balance

Some days, I feel I'm a lazy mom.  I was just reviewing what I did, or did not do, with my kids the week I had off before school started.  I am afraid I just let them veg in front of the TV or with a video or computer game for too long.  I had no gumption to get out of my pjs before noon.  I spent too much of my time letting them do whatever with each other with electronics.  Usually, I let this get to me, but that week, I just let go.  I was tired from work and let my brain rot.  Rot on reading FB posts, emails and strange internet news.  Wandered around the house organizing small piles of stuff here and there.  Catching up on DVR shows.  Reading several different books at once: a guidebook on Maui, a book about weight training and the House of Mirth.

About noon I would realize I needed to get dressed and "do something."  And maybe feed my kids lunch.  Most days, lunch came at 1:30 pm.  I did take them to a museum and we spent quite a bit of time there.  They did have soccer practice at 5 pm several days that week, so I guess I felt justified in letting them veg in front of the TV.  Three days that week, I also got them to the pool and one day my daughter and I went to the farmer's market.  So I did make an effort to get us away from the house.  Just not really hard.

So I know other people who talk about writing in gratitude journals, taking walks at sunrise for inspiration, taking time to think and ponder on the meaning of life, finding time to exercise, wanting to make sure that they spend as much time as they can as a family without TV, video, or computer.  I feel a pang of guilt, because I feel I am not being a deep person, not making life meaningful for my children, not facilitating their sense of self and spirituality.  I feel guilty that I'm not spending more time with them.

Then I realize, I wouldn't be happy doing that.  I can't sit and be emotional and spiritual in front of my children.  I have to be matter of fact, open and honest but matter of fact.  Logical and straight from the hip.  I also want my me time, which, I guess, for me, is to spend some time on the computer web surfing.  I surf for information, often reading news articles and Wikipedia, for questions that come up.  I relax by watching goofy SyFy shows and just letting my brain turn to mush.  I don't want to spend every waking minute with my kids, I want them to find ways to entertain themselves.  Maybe they need to see me doing more reading, like when I lost an hour just reading about Maui and suddenly realized I should shower and work on lunch.

I ponder life's problems driving to work, always.  I have composed some awesome blog posts in my head.  But as soon as I get to work, they are forgotten, because I must deal with the mundaneness of work.  I probably get enough time to wonder as I drive to/from work and maybe I don't need to write it all down.  It is enough to think it through in my head.  I defy being there every minute for my kid and embrace the lazy parenting attitude. 

Come to think of it, when I was kid, I was outside, wandering the front and back yard and next door parking lot.  I don't remember spending a lot of time playing with my parents in elementary school.  They were doing whatever parents do and it didn't make a good or bad impression on me.  It just was.  So I think we have some time yet to get it all in and I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.  It will come when it needs to and will shape our family life however it can.  They will grow up how they are supposed to.

Because that is just how it is.