Wii and Coffee...I thought it was a good mix!

So, I kept myself up later than I should have last night...I was a drawing and painting fool! It was awesome! My iPod, my watercolors and ME! The whole rest of the house was sleeping! Ahhhhh...perfection! Oh yeah...and I watched a few FRIENDS episodes on YouTube...which is why I said "perfection"! LOL!

So, this morning a little person, one just tall enough for his chin to hit the top edge of my mattress runs into my room and says, "Ma! Ma! Dare is sumbuddy sweepin' on da table. Come on, yook! Sumbuddy sweepin' dare!"

OK, so if you are in a deep sleep and someone squeals that in your ear...are you a little freaked out? Well, as I follow his skipping body down the hall and to the steps, I am wiping sleep out of my eyes and thinking...What the heck am I going to do if he is serious? What if 'sumbuddy' broke in and (for some ridiculous reason) fell asleep on our kitchen table? Even as I was thinking it, I knew what a FREAK that made me...to even entertain the thought...but I did.

"DARE! DARE him is! Yook!"

I squint. I 'yook.' I try to look muscular, in case this sleeping intruder is bigger than me. You know, I go into protective Mama Bear mode.

"My shwoggie! Him is on da table!"

His froggy. The %$#%**&%* plastic frog I bought him at Michael's last night! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

"Yes, bud, there is your froggy. Is he awake?"

(mumble, mumble)

"Maa, you pway Wii wit me?"

"Baby, just let mommy fill her veins with something that will make me happy to be playing Wii with you get some coffee first.

I galumph over to the coffee maker as the sound of a way-too-awake Mario and Luigi race around my living room.

Finally, I sit on the couch and we start a two player race. He likes to do the battles, which means there are like 429 games in a row. I blink my eyes, sip my drug, and prepare to KICK HIS BUTT!

In between races we high-five and giggle. This is sweet. We do it every morning. And by the second race (thanks to my coffee), I am totally into it - we have a blast!

This morning we were 3 games in and I couldn't tell you who was winning because every time I get ahead of him, we pauses the game and we trade steering wheels...ha...so technically HE is kicking MY butt!

In between the 37th and 38th race (I am exaggerating) I lay my steering wheel in my lap and reach down for my coffee that was sitting at my feet. He peeps over at me as I put my cup to my lips and start to sip....

...some crazed lunatic entered his body (maybe it was that growling spiky turtle thing that he chooses as his character to drive his race car) and he, with all the force capable of being in a 4-year old body, he punches me. Not in my arm but IN MY COFFEE CUP! And it's a KO!

The angle in which his little fist struck the mug sends scalding coffee UP MY NOSE, all over my face, on my PJs (that I was hoping to keep clean so I could justify wearing them to the bus stop in 28 seconds when his bus rounds the bend), all over the leather couch, the off-white rug....you get the picture.

I have to tell you...12 seconds later I was giggling.

Not because I had finally lost my mind. Not because I was dreaming of the glorious free time I would have while he is duck taped to the wall (DO NOT EMAIL ME! I AM JUST KIDDING!).

I giggled, with coffee dripping from my nose and my chin, because the look in his eyes as he realized what his body had done, apparently without the approval of his brain, was priceless!

He did the 'eyeballs put of the head' gawk and then took off like a shot! His little body zipped in a mini-human blur out of the living room, in and out of the kitchen, through the baby gate that he broke (busted a rung off of so he could fit through) a couple months ago, up the stairs, into his room and slammed the door! SLAM!

The coffee cleaned up without a problem. And I found out that SNORTING coffee isn't all that bad and actually wakes you up more than drinking it.

He bravely walked down the steps and sulked into the kitchen, tail between his legs, and said, "Sowwy, Mommy. You pway Wii wit me?"

We had 4.6 seconds to get to the bus stop...no Wii...but time for

a big snuggle for saying "Sorry"

a "Please don't do that again."

and a smile as he waved from the bus window.

Lesson learned? DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Peace.

My firsts...

Found this on someone's blog but they didn't tag anyone so I took it...thought it would be fun. I didn't read all of the things FIRST that are supposed to be firsts so this could be interesting. We'll see if I hit "Publish" at the end...haha.

Here goes..... 1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Scott Risbon, my best friend's brother - I know, I know, that crosses the line in that "don't date the brother" rule but we weren't dating, just good friends without dates to our Junior Prom.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Um, no. That's a weird thought.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? Some kind of whiskey, I think. I was pretty naive and in high school went to my 1st upperclassman's party. When I walked in, one of his friends handed me a cup. I was 16 and still thinking they served punch at parties so I said, "thanks" and took a huge gulp. Never had punch light my lungs on fire! I played it cool and handed the cup back. Blech.

4. What was your FIRST job? Technically, babysitting. First job I had outside of other people's homes was at our local mall in the food court. The place was called Coney Island - we served hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I even had to scrub the white slime off of the hot dogs before putting them on the grill. NO LIE! Maybe that's why I refuse to feed my kids the foul tubular meat. Double Blech!

5. What was your FIRST car? Sniffle, sniffle. Her name was "Betty" (as in Boop)...she was a beauty. My beloved Rangoon Red '65 Mustang. My sweet daddy pimped my ride and turned a banged up white 'Stang into a very sweet ride! Happy 16th to me!! But, sadly, she got old and unreliable so for safety's sake we sold her down the river. So sad. It was kind of funny though, at one point there was a crossed wire or something and when I made left hand turns the headlights turned off or she stalled. So, for months, I drove way out of my way to get to my destinations by only turning right. I tried to deal with it as long as I could before telling my dad. But after almost getting T-boned a couple times, I had to give in and tell him...I still have pictures of her. I think I loved her more than my first boyfriend!

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? That would be "Goose," one of the 3 Michel(l)e's in my BFF Bunch! Love ya, friend!

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? The 4 year old screaming in my face that he wanted to play in the snow before breakfast! He didn't get my sarcasm when I said, "Then go ahead." I dashed out of bed when I heard the door open and just KNEW he was in boots and dinosaur jammies!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Komez...she was very pregnant and she felt it necessary to discuss her discomforts with the class, usually at story time. The last thing a 6 year old wants to think about is that her fat teacher has tremendous gas due to her innards being shoved up to her neck.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? I was 3 months old and I flew from PA to LA where I lived for the next 2 years. My first words were said sweetly with a lo-o-o-ong southern drawl. Mama = "Mow-mah" Michelle = "Mee-shayl" To this day, if I meet a southerner, I have a hard time staving off the twang.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them? Melissa, Melissa, Melissa. We met when we were four, went K-12 together, then different universities, were in each other's weddings, lived in different states and now live a mile from one another. We talk sometimes daily and see each other a couple times a month. To this day (35 years later) she is one of my dearest friends. She even held an intervention for me once. Drove 3 hours to Penn State to discuss my choice of boyfriend. (Not my hubby. His roommate)

11. What was your FIRST sport played? Does kickball count? The swings at recess? Not much of an athlete. Really don't enjoy dodging, chasing, kicking, hitting or tackling things. Would much rather sit on the sidelines and yell. Cheerleading was my gig in high school.

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over? Probably the Drumeler's house. At about 3am I got up to secretly call my mom to come get me. But I didn't tell Mrs. Drumeler, or my friend for that matter, so they were all a little freaked out when someone was ringing the doorbell in the wee hours of the morning. I did this a couple more times before we took a sleep-over hiatus.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? The squealing dinosaur-boot kid.

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? My Aunt Cathy's in 1973. I was 3. I wore a long gauzy baby blue dress with a very floppy, wide brim hat...with flowers of course. Very 70's.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Answered the phone at 5:30 for an automated call that school was on a 2-hour delay!

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Oh dear, I went to see The Jackson 5 with my dad. He rocks. He pretended to be security and snuck us down from the nosebleed seats to the floor - close to the front. No. I am not spoiled (chuckle - see #5)

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing? Ears pierced when I was 5. I got my 1st tattoo for myself for my 39th birthday so I have immortalized my 30's!

18. FIRST foreign country you went to? England and then France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria - all in the same trip. I was 14 and went with Melissa and the German Travel Club. What happens in Europe, stays in Europe! Right Meliss?!

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law? Following my boyfriend home from the SATs, he went a different way that I didn't know and "Betty" T-boned a BMW! My FORD lost an "R" and become a FOD. Sheesh. It was the first time I had to actually talk to a cop. He had no sympathy for me - he was more interested in the fact that I lived in the town where the woman shot the monkey. (long story - has nothing to do with the accident)

20. When was your FIRST detention? I only had one - for being late to school more than the acceptable 3x. I only lived 7 minutes from school but "Betty" wasn't always cooperative, nor was my snooze button.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in? Pennsylvania. Just a small town girl from Pennsyl-tucky.

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart? Greg Cooper. I got my first "Dear John" letter soon after he left for college.

23. Who was your FIRST roommate? Jen Chiari. She was a nursing student at Hahnemann University. We lived in Center City Philadelphia (my first time away from home and I didn't know her from Adam). She was very nice. She had a very memorable, snorty laugh.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride? To my Nanny's funeral. It was white. I felt very important. I was 11.

Wanna try? Consider yourself tagged!! Link back to me and leave a comment here when you post so I can be nosey - that's all I ask!

I feel like...

C-R-A-P... ...lemme spell it out for ya... C is for the 14,000,000,000 calls I have had to make in the last two days regarding an insurance mix up! R is for the rejection I got this week from a children's literary agent that I really connected with! A is for the atypical cells that came back in a mole biopsy I had done last week. And for the new appointment I had to make for them to "dig deeper and wider"...nice! P is for the post-holiday mess that is taking over my house and making me feel like I am being buried alive! Y is for...well, there is no "Y" in my 'word of the day' but I am adding one to express my animosity toward the gynecological malady that starts with this letter and that could seriously send a woman to the LOONEY BIN! Ladies, you know what I am talking about...the treatment is almost as disgusting as the problem itself. Ya feelin' me? Ugh! Happy 2010! Peace.

The envelope please....

And the winner of the LeapFrog LEAPSTER 2 is ...

(drum roll)

ZACHSGRAN!

She was hoping to win this for her grandson and she DID!

Congratulations!

It's almost RESOLUTION time!

So, what will yours be?

Every year since I was 3, I think, I have resolved to get healthy and lose weight. If you have read my blog long enough you have been privy to all of my overzealous plans to get fit.

Well, this year, I MEAN IT! LOL!

I am not a hefty person but I am at a weight that I am uncomfortable being. I need to suck it in a little too much and that can make you lightheaded if you have to do it for too long. It's that weight that makes you feel like parts that shouldn't be are sticking out. When your boobs pop out for your bra when you bend down to pick something up. And with those gosh darned short crotch jeans, your whole backside waves to everyone if you have to bend even a little bit.

It's like a choreographed dance when you are out to impress and you are trying to look skinny when you're really not. Let's face it, no one knows how flabby you are unless you are naked and, I hope, not that many people see you naked.

The dance starts with the PULL AND TUCK. I do this one often...You grab onto the belt loops of your jeans as you stand and hoist them to your throat while trying to tuck in that extra roll as you pull.

Then there's the SUCK IN AND SMOOTH OUT. This step is typically performed in a mirror. You check yourself out, turn sideways, suck it in and readjust underwear, pantyhose and bra until the creases, ridges and rolls have been eradicated. Only attempt this in the Ladies Room, it is not an attractive part of the dance.

And of course we have the SIT TALL AND HOLD IT to round out the evening out. This step gives me gut-wrenching indigestion...but at least I looked thin when I am writhing in pain (before I cut myself out of my pantyhose). While eating, we hear our mother's voice telling us to "sit up straight and stop slouching!" So, we do. And naturally when you do this, your midsection is elongated. You would think this would allow MORE room for food, but somehow the sucking in of the gut makes for tremendous amounts of stabbing pain.

So, in light of this discussion, I WILL ONCE MORE BE RESOLVING TO GET IN SHAPE. I guess if I dust off that Wii Fit my kids got me for Mother's Day and plug my ears when it yells at me for not "stepping on" in about 7 months, maybe I could do this.

Anyone else? Wanna start a revolution? Let me know, maybe we can make a contest out of it!

**Oh, geez, the kids are out of the house...Dr. Phil is coming on....WHERE ARE THOSE FREAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES??!! What? It's not January 1st yet! I need to get rid of all of the bad food, right? And it would be wasteful to throw it away! My neighbors and friends spent a lot of time on these!**

Christmas Day (LeapFrog Leapster 2) GIVEAWAY!

Well, here I am....sneaking into my studio/office while my kids play with their new gadgets to post about my new favorite toy! The NEW Leapster 2! I can't wait for nap time so I can peel my son's grubby little fingers off of it to see what all it does! The buttons are big, the stylus fits in a little hole the back, the screen is clear and there IS A VOLUME! You can turn it down! And...and...and...a headphone jack if Mom wants complete silence! Check it out! How cute is this?

There is a CD and power cord that you can plug right into your PC or laptop for computer play. Also, you can download games STRAIGHT FROM the LeapFrog website. And right now you can save and amazing 25% on games and accessories!

And, yes, I know what you frugal moms are asking..."But will the old LEAPSTER games fit in the new Leapster?" YES!!! Cha-Ching!

I am talking HOURS and HOURS of learning fun! I listened to my pre-schooler identifying letters while my husband cheered him on as he defeated Darth Vader while learning pre-reading skills! SO COOL!

And the best part of this?

LeapFrog has decided to GIVE ONE AWAY right here on my blog!

Tell your kiddo that Santa dropped this gift in a big snow drift at the North Pole and that's why it arrived late. There is no better deal than a FREE toy (especially a $50+ one) AFTER Christmas!

Leave a comment and on Wednesday I will choose a winner using Random.org to choose a winner.

Peace.

Merry Christmas!

The envelope, please! (and a contest!)

Hi all!

I have run a few contests these past couple weeks and wanted to let you know who our winners are!

The MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BOOK goes to IrishMama!

and

The CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS goes to Bobbi-Jo from The High Family (go check out her photo - you'll see why she won! Too cute!)

There is a LEAP FROG LEAPSTER 2 contest coming up by the end of thise week!!!

Come back to check! That would make one AWESOME Christmas gift and it will be FREE!!!

Happy Shopping.

Peace.

Every kid needs a CYBER POCKET!

...and every mom needs her kid to have it! VTech is the leader in age-appropriate learning toys and the creator of the Electronic Learning Product category. Since 1976, VTech has been developing high-quality, innovative, educational products and learning toys that enrich children’s development. From infant to toddler to grade school, kids learn through fun, smart and active play.

Toys with a purpose that encourage learning and keep kids engaged are at the top of my list this year.

The V.Smile Cyber Pocket Learning System is one of these toys! Small enough to be portable but yet large enough for little hands this (I hate to even call it this because it's so much more) toy is one awesome find!

Children ages 4-7 can play games that enrich language, teach not only problem solving but math, spelling, vocabulary, logic, music and more.

I love that the screen is LCD and very clear. You know sometimes those small screens are pixel-y and remind me of the PONG game from way back when. Not this screen! It's sharp and colorful. I would like for it to be a little larger. I worry about the kiddos with less than perfect vision and think this small screen may frustrate them to the point of putting it down.

The stylus is attached with the short string and has a clip to hold it in place when not in use which is BRILLIANT! I wish my big kids had this option for their Nintendo DSs...they may not go to college b/c of all the money I have spent replacing lost styluses.

The buttons on the Cyber Pocket are colorful and small finger-sized but not to small that they hit more than one at a time. The finger activated joystick-style control buttons will increase hand-eye coordination which is a pre-reading skill. Kids with good hand-eye have been known to be better readers.

The writing pad is cool, too.

The mom friendly features are just as exciting!

• a head phone jack so you are not humming a learning game tune all day.
• a slide off cover to the battery compartment...NO SCREWDRIVER NEEDED!
• not-too-hard-to-remove-from-the-box packaging which can make for mumbled bad words on Christmas morning!
• ENTERTAINMENT that parallels no other system for this age group!

I can't wait for my son to open his VTech Cyber Pocket Learning System Christmas morning, but I think I will make it the last gift, so he can sit back and play right away!

MENTAL NOTE: Open box and put batteries in first! This packaging allows for simple cutting off fused edges and then placing protective clear cover back on and sliding it back into the box! LOVE IT!

The angels are singing to this one! Go out and get one of the best kids won't bother me while I am grocery shopping toys on the shelves this year!

More reviews on the way soon.

Peace.

Score your own MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BOOK

When I spoke with Annie Fox on the phone a couple months ago, we clicked! Both being so passionate about kids, we talked and talked and the ideas flowed and flowed! It was like a geyser of "save the world starting with the kids" conversation!

So, a week later when BOOK 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind arrived in the mail, my oldest son happened to be dealing with the stress of a tryout for the Christmas concert soloist. He wasn't concerned with not getting the part, he was concerned that some of the other boys in the class would make fun of him for WANTING the part.

He explained the scenario when the teacher asked, "Who would like to try out?"

"Mom, I heard her ask the question and before I even had a chance to think about it, my arm shot up! It was automatic. I didn't even realize I was raising it until she called my name."

"That's great, bud!"

"But when the teacher called my name, "J" and "M" both said, 'Yeah, you SHOULD do it!'"

"And....what's wrong with that?"

"I think they were making fun of me. I think they want me to try out so they can make fun of me."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know."

So...I pulled out Annie's book, handed it to him (he LOVES graphic novels) and said, "I will be back in a little bit, you can tell me what you think when I get back."

The books are filled with honest comments from kids in that "tween" bracket. But on-going through those comments is a scenario that reads like a comic book, a scenario about Real Friends and how to deal with those who aren't. Annie's website is split into three parts: For Teens, For Parents, For Educators. BRILLIANT!

Now, you see WHY I handed him this book!

Needless to say, he tried out for the solo and was shocked when those two boys patted him on the back and said, "Great job!" The fear he had of them wanting to make fun of him was created out of his insecurity of BEING who he really is. I truly think, had I not had Annie's book to use as a guide, he may not have listened as clearly to another one of Mom's "when I was a kid" stories.

Annie's characters are REAL and RIGHT NOW!

You can win your own copy of this book to give to your favorite TWEEN for Christmas! Simply leave a comment (and a tween scenario if you like) and RANDOM.ORG will choose the winner.

Peace.

Where did November go?

Is it just me or did someone do the "rip the table cloth out from under the dishes" trick with the calendar? I feel like I just erased October from my dry erase calendar and added all of our November to-dos. Yesterday I had dejavu as I erased November to fill in December! Is it because I will be 40 this year? Is this what they mean when they say the older you get, the faster time goes? I had no idea it would be THIS sudden? I was just going along, minding my own business in October...November hit and B L A M! It's DECEMBER! I did the math... I am technically 39 1/2 as of this month! I am wondering if that "1/2" has done something to the universe, at least MY universe, to click my life into overdrive! I can't do my life at super speed! HELP!

Peace.

A Very Monkey Christmas THE CONTEST!

When PBS contacted me to see if I would have a Curious George party to announce the release of the FIRST CURIOUS GEORGE CHRISTMAS MOVIE, I agreed. I love kids. It would be fun!

The preview of the movie is on PBS today! To learn more about what's going on with that rascaly monkey...CHECK HIM OUT HERE!

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, finds George and The Man with the Yellow Hat having a very merry time counting down the days until Christmas. There’s only one puzzle: neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present. The Man is having trouble reading George’s wish list and George doesn’t have a clue about what to get for The Man who has everything. Maybe you can help!

We had a blast at our party! My favorite part was the contagious giggling from the other room when George would get himself in those typical Monkey predicaments.

The movie held their attention (until the last short bit) which is AMAZING for a room full of kiddos 5 and under! WOW!

We are headed out of town and taking MY COPY with us in the car to ring in the Holidays as we go...over the hill and through the woods to Grandmother's house!

Post a picture of your cutest Curious George fan on your blog and leave me a link and I will have my impartial judges pick the most creative photo to win the DVD, not yet released. The 2n drunner up will receive the Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas soundtrack!

POST THOSE PICTURES NOW!!

Athol Dickson LOST MISSION review

I am not much for historical fiction, I am a children's writer. So, when I got my hands on LOST MISSION by Athol Dickson I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, but I had offered to review it for LitFuse Agency so I dove right in.

I was taken aback by the gorgeous illustrative prose. Instantly I could SEE the Southern California landscape. This story of faithfulness and God's calling to be just that had me captivated. This book made me think! THIS I liked...historical fiction drew me in and I liked it.

Four characters who strive to do something great for God learn big lesson in what God truly wants of His followers.

A story set almost 200 years ago focuses on the trials and tribulations of Lupe de la Garza, a shopkeeper in a mountain village in Mexico, and her fellow characters. These trials are nothing history hasn't seen before; as they say, history repeats itself.

Moral mistakes, forbidden desire and lost faith in Dickson's LOST MISSION will keep you captivated with the premise that our seemingly unavoidable mistakes as a human race may not be truly be unavoidable. Maybe this cycle can be broken.

I am giving THIS book as a gift this holiday season! Go out and grab yours...even if you think you don't love historical fiction...I'm its latest convert!

Peace.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Message...

For: You

From: Me

...because I DON'T EAT TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING!

Peace (to the turkeys!).

GlassesUSA hooked me up!

UPDATED SALE INFORMATION!! Friday GlassesUSA is having an AMAZING Black Friday sale - 25% off ANY order. It's a one-day only sale followed by an almost as good sale on Cyber Monday (17% off any order).

I remember being a teenager and thinking it was so cool when I got my first prescription for glasses! Wearing eyeglasses was going to be SO cool! A couple years later my frames were huge compared the the latest styles and I never had time to go get new frames...picking them out took a lot of time and I just didn't have that kind of time. I stopped wearing them.

As a mom, I NEED my prescription glasses! The print on medicine bottles gets smaller each time I fill a prescription! So, I take the kids and go browse through the thousands of choices and can NEVER pick what I like. Distractions or no distractions, it's tricky!

I didn't think I would be able to choose eyeglass frames online. I figured I would need to see them on my face to know what I liked. But at GlassesUSA.com I found a lovely pair that I HOPED and PRAYED would look good! I had just had my eyes examined so I have my new prescription (which is Greek to me).

At GlassesUSA.com, your order is processed quickly, using YOUR prescription, and your glasses arrive in no time packed in their own sturdy case! And then prices...HOLY GOODNESS, they are so economical! This was a SUPERB experience!

Thanks GlassesUSA! They are awesome! I feel like a HOT MAMA in my new specs! ;) Whadda ya think?

Peace.

I love tiny*prints!

I now know where I will be shopping for my HOLIDAY GREETINGS!

Here are a couple samples from the tiny*prints website!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THEIR HOLIDAY SALE! GO! GO! GO!

I just got my Tiny*Prints order and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This website is so EASY to navigate and personalize...I'm not always a "quick learner" when it comes to new sites and ordering and personalizing but this site was a breeze.

Their products are so gorgeous, I found myself looking through other styles and cards for events and holidays I wasn't buying for but I just kept wanting to see more!

tiny*prints is FIRST CLASS! This company is definitely worth a bookmark in your FAVORITES file!

Check out their deals for the Holidays! This is ONE STOP SHOPPING at its BEST!

HOLIDAY CARDS

CHRISTMAS CARDS

HANUKKAH CARDS

HOLIDAY PHOTO CARDS

HOLIDAY PARTY INVITATIONS

HOLIDAY RETURN ADDRESS LABELS

HOLIDAY GIFT TAGS

HOLIDAY MINT TINS

HOLIDAY THANK YOU CARDS

NEW YEAR'S CARDS

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY INVITATIONS

They are bangin' down my door!

Hey all!

I know it's been awhile, I apologize! I've been feverishly working on a couple books and preparing for a speaking engagement - yeah, ME, SPEAKING! Like a bumbling idiot, probably! I may grace a post with some video of it after it's over - heck, if I can figure it out, maybe I will SKYPE it - we will see!

I love y'all for subscribing and it will pay off in the VERY near future. Listen why.

My inbox has been INUNDATED with companies asking me to review products and some are offering extra items for giveaways! JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

PBS, TinyPrints, VTech Toys, Simon&Schuster and MORE!!

Can you say FREE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? Enter a contest and win a toy or discount that will help to complete your holiday shopping list!

SO...if you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE!

Peace.

At my art table...

Well, here I am back at my art table (WITH caffeine in my favorite cup - it's my own design!)...ready to dedicate the entire day (well, at least until the pre-school bus comes) to my latest project...

A BOOK DUMMY FOR SIMON & SCHUSTER

I want to thank all of you for supporting me through this publishing journey. So many of you contact me and ask WHERE you can buy my books. I don't have any published but I have many written and even more partially written. I have notebooks FILLED with simple ideas that would make a one-of-a-kind, quirky story! I will never live long enough to write every one of them!

This current project is a first for me. I am submitting as an AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR! Yep, I am taking your advice! I have been thinking all along that I wanted to just concentrate on ONE or the OTHER....writing OR illustrating. Come to find out, it make my writing SO much better when I can use MY OWN illustrations to SHOW the story. It's cleaner. Clearer. It feels like I have found my niche.

I recently had a review with an art rep from NYC who selected a few illustrations in my portfolio and said it was such a unique style that I needed to "run with it!" You can read more about that meeting HERE at my children's book blog.

OK! Back to work (and my coffee!) before I get sucked in chatting with you!

(Not that that's a bad thing!)

Peace.

NAMESAKE Christmas Gift EXTRAVAGANZA

Original, hand painted NAMESAKES on 9 x 12" bristol board: $50.00 each

I sold about 30 of these last year right before Christmas and I am opening my "ORDER PAD" once again but for a SHORT amount of time.

My ORDER PAD will be open until November 1st.

Orders will be verified once payment has been received.

I will contact you via email to discuss design options

and special requests for your child's artwork.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/21 ME? Speaking?

So, this post is for you moms who have done speaking engagements before.

I have.

I love them.

But I get real nervous.

And I am always looking for ways to "keep it fresh."

My tip for public speaking? Pretend you are talking to one of your best friends on the phone... under a spotlight... with 100 people staring at you ...and don't snort! Easy, right?

So, lay it on me! What are your PUBLIC SPEAKING tips?! If I get enough, I will post the video of the event here on my blog.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/19 HELP.ME.

So.

I'm.

Having.

Trouble.

Blogging.

Everyday.

Tips?