No More Nagging!
June 8, 2007
I spent part of yesterday going through all the tips I received for the Leave A Tip contest. I still have more to sort through, but I’m getting there. So stay tuned next week and I’ll start posting everyone’s organizational tips and announce the winners near the end of the month.
As you know, school is over at our house, and sleeping in and playtime are in full swing . I love it that my kids get time to be kids, but they do have jobs to do too, and I very much dislike having to remind them over and over to get something done. Especially those little things they do every morning like brushing their teeth, making their bed, etc.
So I decided they were ready for their own morning routine.
I made a chart that listed all the things they need to do every morning:
- Eat
- Brush their teeth
- Get dressed
- Make their bed
- Put pajamas away
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
When they’ve done each item, they check it off on the chart.
So far they love this! After breakfast, they rush around to get things done so they can check them off, and they’ve even turned it into a race to see who can get done first. And I have not once had to remind someone to make their bed or brush their teeth.
Life is good — and a little easier for Mom!
- On Monday–get ready to share your best gift ever.
Jane Orcutt’s All the Tea in China
June 7, 2007
Jane Orcutt is a multi-pubbed novelist whose latest book All the Tea in China has just released. Isn’t that a beautiful cover?
A few months ago, Jane graduated on to heaven, as someone put it, and many of her writing friends are asking their own readers to purchase Jane’s book to help her husband and two sons.
For more info you can visit Camy Tang’s blog or a website put up by Jane’s friends at http://www.janeorcuttbooks.com.
I have my own brief story about Jane. Last fall, I was working on a scene in a book where I had two people being interviewed for TV. Having never experienced that myself and not knowing what the setup and crew would be like, I sent out a call for help on a writers’ loop, and Jane responded, answering all of my questions. In fact, I used her information in the first scene of my entry that finaled in the Genesis contest. Whenever I read that scene, I think of her.
I know we all aren’t made of money and the vast majority of us have budgets and such that limit what we spend, but if you have the money to spend on a good read, I hear this one is worth it.
Thanks, Sally
These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking by Melody Carlson
June 6, 2007
is introducing
(WATERBROOK Press June 19, 2007)
Melody Carlson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson has published over 100 books for adults, children, and teens, including On This Day, Finding Alice, the Notes from a Spinning Planet series, and Homeward, which won the Rita Award from Romance Writers of America. She and her husband, the parents of two grown sons, make their home near the Cascade Mountains in Central Oregon. Melody is a full-time writer as well as an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Willing to make the necessary sacrifices–even skipping the occasional latte–to ensure career success, 31-year-old Cassidy Cantrell “invests” in a chic pair of boots, certain they’ll make a spectacular impression and help seal the deal on a long-anticipated promotion from her Seattle employer.
But reality tromps all over her expectations. Cassie’s job is abruptly eliminated–and her love life obliterated, when her longtime boyfriend dumps her for a “friend.” Her self-esteem in tatters, Cassie limps home to the resort town she once so eagerly fled–only to find her recently divorced mother transformed into a gorgeous fifty-something babe with a thriving social life. Cassie wrestles with envy and apathy as she considers the dismal shape of her own physique and romantic prospects. What will it take for her to jump back into life and regain her stride?
This sassy and hilarious novel leads readers on a romp through the wilds of relationships, romance, career, and spirituality, revealing that, while God’s plans may look drastically different than our own, it’ll always be a perfect fit.
Status on the Scale
June 5, 2007
The scale’s still here, although not for long. But don’t tell it that. It took one pound from me this morning so I’m treating it nice!
Getting the “Call”
June 4, 2007
I have gotten the call.
No, it’s not the one from a publisher that I’ve been praying for. This was the call that showed me and my husband what the future will hold.
It was a phone call — for my son.
On his last day of school, I showed up to find him holding a piece of paper (provided by the school, I might add!) with his friends’ names and phone numbers written on it. Well, those who knew their numbers, anyway.
It dawned on me that he’d probably given out his number.
So I asked.
Oh, yeah. He had.
Well, whatever, I thought. Nothing will come of it.
I stand corrected.
Saturday we got one two three four calls for him. From a girl.
We were eating lunch when the second call came, and in our state of shock we let him take the call while we were eating. And then he had to tell his female friend (sorry, just could NOT bring myself to write girl friend, even if there was a space in there!) a secret. We were still in shock and so let him go to his room and shut the door.
We sat there across the table from each other and shook our heads. I feel like I have a teenager in my house. I enjoy teens (I work with them every Wednesday), but I’m suddenly not sure I’m looking forward to that age. My little baby boy, getting phone calls from girls.
For those of you ready to post a comment on how we shouldn’t let him go talk in his room with the door shut, don’t worry. We put an end to that already. And fortunately the secret was just that he’d creamed his dad in a video game that morning. (Sorry, Steve.) He’s been told that from now on, all phone calls must be taken right out in the open. No bedroom, no closed doors on the next phone call.
Yeah, the next one. Do you think we should change our number?
Me, too.
June Winners — July Giveaway
June 4, 2007
We have winners again!
Georgiana D won Crime & Clutter, and Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie won A Bigger Life. Congrats, ladies!
July’s giveaway will be Snitch by Rene Gutteridge. I reviewed this very funny book a week or so ago. You can find out more about it and Rene here.
Also, I’m going to be working this month’s giveaway a tad differently. If you’d like to be entered in the contest for this book, please leave a comment ON THIS POST. You have no idea how much time it took to go through each June post and copy every commenter’s name on little slips of paper. Frankly, I have no idea how much time it took either because I wasn’t timing it, but it sure felt like a lot!
As always there may be another book that comes up for grabs later in the month so stay tuned.
Also, remember the 4 book Glass Road giveaway I did a couple weeks ago? Well, it’s going on this week on Deborah’s blog, only this time it’s 5 books.
I tell ya, there’s nothing like free books!
My Summer . . . On Paper
June 1, 2007
Erica Vetsch at On the Write Path recently posted an update on her goals for the year. Wow, that’s one determined lady. Up until this year, I made writing goals with dates for myself, but I never met them with the consistency that Erica has.
With school out for the year (yes, that was a real loud YIPPEE!), I am determined to be productive. And the number one reason I am not productive is because I don’t have a schedule or routine. You’d think I’d have this how-to-get-the-most-out-of-24-hours thing down by now, but frankly I don’t. If I don’t get enough sleep (#2 reason I don’t get things done) and I don’t have my day planned ahead of time, then I might as well be wandering the Sahara for as much work as I get done.
I feel busy. Really, I do. But too often, at the end of the day, I look back and think, “What did I do today?”
Sure, raised kids, disciplined kids, disciplined some more, hugged kids, cooked 3.14159 meals, and washed dishes for 5 meals along with numerous other things, but those things don’t take all day.
So, say what you will, but I have come up with a schedule. This may not work for you, but it is oh so necessary for me.
And now, I give you . . . the schedule.
- 5:45-7 –devotions and exercise
- 7-8 — shower, dress, eat
- 8-9 — Flylady my house
- 9-10 — take kids outside to play
- 10-11:30 — e-mails, blog, writing misc.
- 11:30-1 –lunch, clean-up, read to kids
- 1-4 –WRITE!
- 4 — dinner prep
So there it is. I have morning and evening routines I do. And I have daily routines within the Flylady hour. We’ll talk about that at a later date, and regardless of what you think of Flylady, there are some production guaranteed steps there. So far I’ve done a fairly good job of sticking to it. It might need some tweaking, but that’s to be expected. Anyone else have a schedule, a plan, a routine — even if it’s only for part of a day?
One of my goals this summer is to get my next book written before the end of August. I’ve been listening to some writers’ conference MP3s lately, and one reminded me that writing a book doesn’t happen haphazardly. There is much planning, specifically time planning, that goes into that book getting written, and since my kids dropped their naps a few years ago, I’ve been slack about carving out time to write. No more!
I want to be able to lay out my goals and see myself accomplish them. Isn’t that a great feeling? Keeping up with the house, getting rid of clutter, and writing a 90,000 word book — those are the things I’m shooting for with this schedule.
Speaking of schedule, I’m a tad late for breakfast. Happy weekend, and see you Monday.
- Monday, Crime & Clutter and A Bigger Life book winners announced!
- June novel giveaway announced.