I am VERY glad the week is over . . . almost.

It's been a long and tiring week because we had a big event going on . . . the Grandparent Tea.

The teacher I've been working with, and all the 5th grade teachers in general, had been working really hard to make the event yesterday a success. And speaking not only as an aide and helper, but as a mom . . . it was WONDERFUL!!!

I have always been into genealogy thanks to my mom . . . she has been working on different facets of her family for as long as I've been around, and I've learned some amazing things . . .

For example . . .
I am a direct descendant of William Bradford (who came on the Mayflower).
I am also a direct descendant of Amy Franklin who was Benjamin Franklin's niece.
I also have numerous other interesting people, like an exiled French Huguenot.

The whole week just reminded me of how much I hope the kids of today see not just where they're going, but where they've been through their family.

And I hope they'll come to appreciate it even more, when they're in the same position I am . . . watching their children grow and learn.

On that note . . . tomorrow is Kid #3's birthday party . . . that's where the ALMOST comes in. :)

For every dark cloud . . .

So, even though I had every intention of having my sundae . . . I didn't.

I was half way there and decided I didn't feel like a sundae, but instead stopped at Starbucks and got a Venti -nonfat/decaf -3 pump mocha with whip.

But I added one pump of Toffee nut . . . you gotta live a little. :)

Now . . . onto bigger and better things!

I'm heading to Baskin-Robbins tonight . . .

I am in desperate need of some comfort food tonight, and this is the reason why . . .

MY PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CAME BACK!!!!

sigh . . .

Since I started focusing on my writing these past 5 yrs, I have not sent out many book manuscripts. In fact I have only sent one (which I just received back) and one query. Most of what I have been focusing on has been magazines pieces in the hopes of sharpening my writing chops.

It has worked, MATTY was published last September and my non-fiction piece is being published in 2012.

That's all well and good, but I'm starting to eye the bigger picture . . . I REALLY want to get a book published!

Now, I hope that doesn't sound whiny, because I don't mean it to be . . . in fact quite the contrary. I have been receiving A LOT of great feedback from my YA novel, and I have an agent who would like me to query her with it when it's done. So things are happening . . .

Part of the reason why I'm not more upset or disappointed is when I went to an SCBWI conference in 2004, I had a PB critiqued and one of the comments the critiquer made was:

"Your writing seems more geared to novels . . . "

So maybe she saw something that's taken me nearly 5 years to figure out . . .

Does that mean I'm going to stop pushing for my PB? NO!

Am I still going to have my double-scoop, hot fudge sundae tonight? Heck YES!

But once I do, it will be over and done with . . . and I can move on.

BTW, I'm still on track to have my query on my YA novel out by this Tuesday! YIPPEE!!!! :)

Less than 2 weeks to go . . .

Until pitchers and catchers arrive at Scottsdale! I know it's really too early to be talking baseball, but since the novel I've been working on for the better part of the last 3 years has to do with that particular sport . . .

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

I'm really curious to see how the year is going to shape up, especially since I really don't have any expectations about how well or bad the team is going to do. There are just two things I know for sure:

1. Our team is one of the youngest ones we've had since '86 (with the exception of Benji, Dave Roberts, and the newly acquired Randy Johnson).

2. The team is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the '89 team that went to the World Series.

Number 2 is of a particular interest to me because I was there . . . not when the earthquake hit on Oct. 17 (although my in-laws were), but when the Giants beat the Cubbies to take the 5th game of the NLCS to win the pennant. I remember the tension, the throngs of orange/black/cream jerseys, the dull roar of the crowd that made it sound like a jet was hovering right over Candlestick . . . and of course the tears in my Hubby's eyes when they won.

In fact, my ring tone is the play-by-play call made when Will Clark hit a blooper into left field to move us ahead in the 6th inning.

I get the strangest looks when my phone rings! :)

In the very early writing days, about 15 yrs ago, one of the first pieces I wrote was the memory of that day. I wrote it in first person POV about the sounds and feelings I had. Little did I know that piece would be the basis for the novel I now hope to complete by the end of next week.

I first wrote Cat's story in the 3rd person, but thanks to the advice of a wonderful author and writing coach, I chose to rewrite her in her own voice. Telling the reader why she loves baseball so much.

Now, twenty years later, I hope the celebrations surrounding that team will inspire other kids, boys and girls alike, to come to appreciate their own love of the game.

2009 - It's gonna be my year!

Such an ominous sounding post, I know, but definitely applicable!

It's only been the past 10 years or so, that I've been officially making New Year's resolutions. When I was younger it was something that other people did but not me. Even after I started having kids, I didn't automatically think it was the thing to do, it's just something I 'fell' into.

Whenever I've heard experts speck on this subject, they aways say things like, "Don't make too many." or "Keep your expectation low."

For some reason, this year, I say . . . HOGWASH!

I have decided that this year, 2009, will be a big year for me in many different ways. And to that, I have decided not to work on just one or two resolutions, but a whole SLEW of them. Some are BIG and some are small, but all of them are just as important.

Now, I realize that it's ONLY January 18th . . . I've got PLENTY of time to mess them up or forget them completely. But, I'm not going to think about them that way.

Not this year!

Some of the ones I've been keeping so far . . .

1. Flossing my teeth every night - Silly, I know, but I can't tell you how many years I've had my hygienist tell me, "You really should be flossing more." So now, I am.

2. Eating better - This one I'm going back and forth on. However, I refuse to get on myself anymore if I mess up on this one. Life is too short for me NOT to have one cookie a day (I just have to make sure that they're sugar-free most of the time)

3. Working on my writing at least 1 hour a day - I've VERY happy to say, that I have been keeping this up since before NY's AND I've gotten it up to 2 hours! I am now more convinced than ever that this is my calling, and that everything that has happened, particularly in the past 5 years, has led me to this point.

4. Learning NOT to yell - This is a new one for me, and one that I plan on work on the hardest. I know I'm busy and that I get frustrated with my life some times, but there is no reason for taking it out on anyone . . . especially my kids. I WILL SUCCEED at this one!

5. Updating my blog - So I was doing a good job on this one last summer, but I faded back out again when school started. But no more . . . I plan on updating this at least once a week (hopefully)!

So as you can see . . . I've got a lot of work ahead of me. But you know, I'm looking forward to it! I have always been up for a challenge, and I believe that this year will be full of them.

But, it's a good thing! :)

Sometimes it just not worth getting out of bed . . . or is it?

Judging by the title of this post, you'd probably think I'd had a really horrible day, right?

To tell you the truth, it's been quite the opposite.

One of the things I've always prided myself on is the ability to multi-task. Actually, not just multi-task, but to be a master juggler. I know most people assume this is the case with me because I'm a mom. But really, I've been like this all my life . . . especially during high school and college

Basically, I THRIVE on stress.

Today, I knew I was going to have a full day, and it certainly lived up to it's expectations. I went into it like I usually do, fretting and freaking out thinking (or assuming) something is going to go wrong that will screw up my meticulously planned day. Then, I trudge though, always TRYING to focus on the positive, and to my half-surprise, it all works out fine.

I know a lot of people would think that's setting myself to fail, when in reality, it makes my accomplishments, however small they may be, just that much more appreciated (at least by me).

So now I'm though my hump-day with a little more energy and a lot less stress . . .

Oh, and the best news is . . . I STARTED MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! YIPPEE!!! :)

I have been swallowed up by Facebook!

Okay, maybe not completely . . . but enough to yet again cause me to go for another 2 MONTHS (almost) without posting.

So much has been happening, the biggest being my job at the school and the other being my writing.

I always knew I loved working with kids. Working with them in the classroom (but not necessarily in an authoritative position) and doing things like suggesting books and such. That has never been a question in my mind. But what I didn't realize was how much I had missed it. I will freely admit that my kids have helped me in the head-honcho dept . . . and I don't feel nearly as intimidated as I did when I was 21-22 yrs old.

But at the same time, I feel like I'm in a position to make at least some small difference in these kids' lives . . . and it's putting a HUGE smile on my face! :)

Now with the writing . . .

I'm finally feeling like I'm at a place where I can really put myself out there. I now have one published piece under my belt, and it's helping with both my confidence and my willingness to put more of myself into it . . . making it a priority in my life. And it feels DAMN good!

So, here's hoping that another 2 months will NOT go by before I post again . . .

WOW! The weeks have just flown by . . .

It's hard to believe I haven't posted since August. Actually, given my long break earlier this year, it shouldn't be too surprising.

So many things have happened these past 6 weeks . . . .

- A funeral.
- Several birthdays including Kid #2's 10th!
- A new member of the family (Koko Montoya, our guinea pig).
- Soccer for Kids #2 & 3.
- A baby shower.
- An increasing comfort level with my new job.
- I quit Starbucks.
- Considerable growth in my frustration with our government.
- Girl Scouts.
- A nearly complete stoppage in my writing time.
- And nearly no exercise.

That pretty much covers the past month and a half. I'm planning to cut some of my Facebook time down and increase my blogging time, since I miss doing this!

So that's it for tonight, and hopefully I won't wait another 6 weeks to post again.