I love the quick and dirty tips offered up on Grammar Girl. The girl recently took on bad vs. badly, which is one I’ve caught myself wondering about before, so I thought I’d share the link: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/bad-versus-badly.aspx.
Category Archives: Blog
Freelancing: Clearing My Plate
I’ve turned in the last of my articles, wrapped up a few lingering story questions with an editor and sent out my latest batch of invoices, which means it is time for this little baby to arrive. I still have a few weeks before her official due date, but now would be a great time for her to come. I’m not used to being still. I do have one assignment that will be due in late July and run in August, so I’m debating whether I should start lining up interviews or just sit back and wait for baby girl to arrive and then jump in. Of course, getting some interviews lined up for next week will be one sure way to guarantee she makes her appearance!
Living: Simple Joys from the Weekend
-Having an indoor marshmallow roast with my boys (marshmallows city style, as my hubby says).
-Enjoying brunch with a friend and indulging in strawberry waffles, plenty of bacon and eggs benedict.
-Checking a whole bunch of things off of my to-do list.
-Getting spicy Thai food with my hubby in an effort to induce labor (it didn’t work).
-Celebrating my birthday with my boys.
-Having Evan help me unwrap my presents, the same ones he picked out and helped wrap, and seeing the excitement on his face when he ‘discovered’ what each one was. He picked out cupcake mix and sprinkles, which means I’ll get to have another simple joy when we make the sweet treats.
Living: Simple Joys from the Weekend
-Having an indoor marshmallow roast with my boys (marshmallows city style, as my hubby says).
-Enjoying brunch with a friend and indulging in strawberry waffles, plenty of bacon and eggs benedict.
-Checking a whole bunch of things off of my to-do list.
-Getting spicy Thai food with my hubby in an effort to induce labor (it didn’t work).
-Celebrating my birthday with my boys.
-Having Evan help me unwrap my presents, the same ones he picked out and helped wrap, and seeing the excitement on his face when he ‘discovered’ what each one was. He picked out cupcake mix and sprinkles, which means I’ll get to have another simple joy when we make the sweet treats.
Living: A Favorite Quote
"There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. They are the very simplest things and because it takes a man’s life to know them the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave." – Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon
Reading: What is on Your Nightstand?
Right now I’m loving Alice McDermott’s novel After This. Her descriptions are so beautiful. I hope to finish it tomorrow, so I’ll talk about it more later. But, I want to know, what are you reading right now and what is on your to-read list? I just added Tinkers by Paul Harding to mine after reading this article about Harding’s path to getting published. I’m also looking forward to Allison Winn Scotch’s latest novel that comes out soon. She is giving away another chance to win a copy on her blog.
Freelancing: Teaching Aspirations
In my early 20s I wrote a series of articles about how the Utah State Prison was using education and vocational training to reduce the recidivism rate in the men’s prison. This involved a number of trips to the prison, eating lunch with inmates and sitting in on some of their classes.
On one of my last visits, the program director asked me if I would be interested in teaching a writing course for the inmates. I was young and naïve and certain I could change the world one person at a time. The thought that I could do this through the power of writing made the opportunity even more appealing.
I was about to jump at the chance and had just started to ask how soon I could start when the director piped up again: “Sometimes we need to dangle a carrot in front of these guys to get them to come to class and a young, pretty girl like you would be quite a carrot for us.”
Needless to say, my career as a writing instructor was born and died within the span of six minutes.
Living: Making Memories
Our weekend-o-fun got underway Saturday morning when we piled in the car and headed off to Philly for the weekend. It was the family version of a babymoon before baby girl arrives. We set out with only one goal in mind—to make some memories.
There were sweet treats—donuts for breakfast and ice cream before bed,
fun rides at Sesame Place,
and hands-on learning opportunities at the Please Touch Museum.
There was also plenty of snuggle time for mom, cheesesteaks for dad and jumping on the bed for my guy. My guy also got his fix of roller coasters and got to stay on his favorite ride at Sesame Place five times in a row since there was no line. His daddy was a good sport, but looked a little green when they finally got off the roller coaster.
There were a few moments-o-reality thrown in along the way. I underestimated the direct correlation between my energy level and my patience—not just with my little guy but also with other people’s children. There was also the fact that my little guy decided he no longer liked pizza, chicken nuggets or French fries—foods he really shouldn’t have but are all too convenient and often the only things readily available on a road trip.
On our drive home, I was thinking about the trip—the good, not-so-good and ordinary moments that made up the 33-hour getaway. Giving my little guy 50 cents to buy a finger puppet when we stopped for gas, sharing a funnel cake with my hubby and watching my guy jump on the bed for an hour straight were the highlights. I took a lot of pictures, shared a lot of smiles and made memories that most likely will shine brighter for me than they ever will for my little guy. The best part of the trip was that I was able just to be there will my boys—without my computer, without my to-do list and without worrying about all I needed to accomplish in the day.
In her book Loud and Clear, Anna Quindlen talks about being present. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”
I’m also guilty of not being in the moment often enough, but I am happy to say during the past weekend, I was able to just enjoy our time together as a family.
Living: Celebrating My Mom
My mom…
-is my best friend, my biggest fan and the first person I call each morning
-treats everyone like family
-taught me that some things aren’t worth fighting over, some things are and that knowing the difference will save you a lot of heartache
-loves my little guy as much as I do
-is proud of her kids
-makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie, hot rolls and chicken noodle soup
-makes everyone feel welcome
-let’s my guy have the things his mama denies him
-has fun everywhere she goes
-makes everything special
-knows how to iron a dress shirt, sew on a button and hem pants, but also accepts that there is nothing wrong with letting the dry cleaner do it
-loves living life
-forgives me when I’m tired and cranky
-tells me I can sing
-worries about my dad more than he’ll ever know
-cares about my hubby as if he were her own son
-loves to laugh
-looks for a silver lining
-always takes my side, even if I am wrong
-always takes my side, even if I am wrong
-is the most beautiful and amazing person I know
Happy Mother’s Day, mom! I love you!
Living: Happy Weekending
My hubby and I have a special weekend-o-fun planned for our little guy. We told him about our plan earlier this week and he has woken up each day since then asking if its Saturday.
With only a few more weekends until our little girl is slated to arrive, I want to try to make the most of the solo time we have left with my guy. I’m not going to spill the beans on our weekend plans just yet—I already feel like I am tempting fate by daring to make plans this close to my due date. But I promise to post some pics next week. We’re going to try to squeeze in every ounce of fun we can—the errands, home repairs and cleaning can wait. If you visit my house next week and it isn’t quite in order, I’ll just tell you you’ll have to excuse us because we were out making memories.
Happy weekending to you! What are your plans?