MamaManagement

This week I submitted my first piece of writing for critique in a very, very long time. Very, very long. I remember submitting pieces for critique in my college creative writing class, but I also remember it feeling more like a typical assignment...I was in the habit of submitting work for evaluation then because I was in school. I did it all of the time. And I seem to recall still having a glimmer of the cockiness of youth on my side, which can make things like this a little easier, initially, at least. (Though it's possible that that particular class knocked the last of that cockiness right on out of me. Bastards.) Then I remember a little writing group in my early twenties where I shared a few small pieces. But there was less critique and more encouragement there. It was a very safe space...but not necessarily a very productive one. Now I am in my first real writing critique group. There are a few very inexperienced writers, but none of them are submitting work for cri

Okay, I know I've been on a bit of a middle grade novel recommendation bender, but when I read a good book I just can't help but share it and for whatever reason I've been most drawn to the middle grade novels on my to-read list lately. So here we go... The last two books I recommended had a few things in common. This one is different. Though our main character is similarly aged at 12 years old, the storyline, tone and writing style are very different from Wonder and Counting By 7s . But once again, I loved this book! A Snicker of Magic  by Natalie Lloyd is a novel about a love of words (and I love words) and finding your home. 12 year old Felicity Pickle (I want to change my name to Felicity Pickle.) is a word collector. She sees words everywhere-- in bubbles over people's heads or as birds on their shoulders, dripping down windows with raindrops, and in the stained glass of church windows. She catches and saves as many words as she can by writing them in her

The Button Lampshade So this craft project has been on my list FOR YEARS! I am not kidding. I saw the picture on Pinterest ages ago. I loved it. I thought, I can do that. I found a cute lamp with a basic white drum shade at Target: Perfect. Bought it. I found a website where you can order loads of buttons for not loads of money: Perfect. Ordered 'em. The lamp then sat on my daughter's dresser, lovely but plain. The box of buttons sat with my craft supplies, opened and oohed-and-ahhed at but unused. And "Start Button Lampshade" sat on my to-do list for years, sadly moving from page to page, month to month, year to year. Last year I even put it in a blog post of things I wanted to do that year, hoping it would inspire me to actually do it. Didn't. Do it. But then, for no apparent reason whatsoever, two weeks ago I got the bee in my bonnet to do it. I took the shade off the light. I got the buttons out of their box. I plugged in the glue gun and I got

That moment when you realize that you're reading a book as much and as fast as you can because you love it and can't get enough of it and want to know where the story goes and how it all ends...but you also know that you'll be so bummed when it's done and you won't get to read it anymore and you'll miss the characters terribly. Yeah, I had that moment here. I miss Willow already. Another amazing middle grade novel. Another must read. Add it to your list: Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. I followed up the fantastic Wonder with this awesome book: Counting By 7s.  As with Wonder , I read this in just a few short days and had trouble putting it down to attend to my motherly duties ("Okay, sweetie, let me just finish this page," was heard a lot in our house for a couple of days). You will quickly fall for the quirky main character, Willow Chance, and you will ache for her and cheer for her until the very last page. And, if you're lik

Cooper livin' large on the couch As most of you already know, our family dog, Cooper, is at the end of his life. He has bladder cancer that has spread and our vet has said he has a month or two left before things get bad. So we are giving him medication to keep him comfortable and trying to fill his remaining days with lots of love. He has stopped eating dog food, but since I transitioned to making him chicken and rice, his appetite has been revitalized...at least for now. But the biggest change in his little, day-to-day, doggie world is that he is now allowed on the couch to cuddle, and he has moved from his dog bed on the floor of our master bedroom, to the master bed. And here's what has happened...I have fallen in love all over again. I had forgotten how much I love dog spoons (curling up with with your favorite dog). There is something comforting and reassuring about sleeping with a dog. The weight of their side against your leg or the gentle pressure of their paws

You should read this book. And if you have kids between the ages of 8 and 15, you should hand it to them when you're done and have them read it. Or, better yet, read it together. And then when you're both done reading it, pass it along to a friend. This is a book that should be making the rounds. It should be required reading for elementary and middle school students. Please, please read it. Why? Sigh. What to say about this book? It is well written. It is a fun, funny, entertaining, moving read. Kids will enjoy it. Adults will enjoy it. But that's not why I so want everyone to read it. This is: Wonder is a book about kindness and compassion. Wonder is a book about friendship and families and love. Wonder is a book about how tough the middle school years can be for everyone. Wonder is a book about seeing inside everyone's story and seeing that everyone has their challenges, whether they're obvious on the outside, or not. Wonder is a book about growing