MamaManagement

For those of you wondering what I'm up to in my writing world, here's a little glimpse...  Soooooo...I'm currently working on three different books at three different stages of the writing process. For me, writing like this is exhilarating and fun and tedious and confusing and infuriating and impassioned and depressing and joyful...all, pretty much, at the same time. Yeah, writing is weird. Plus I'm currently reading a bunch of books, which kind of makes it even weirder. I just finished Amy Poehler's Yes, Please! and Cheryl Strayed's Wild , and am in the middle of my bookclub book, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, and a parenting book called Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids by Dr. Laura Markham. I also started Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (then tabled it because I had to start the book club read) and Inkheart (which I tabled because I discovered a plot line too close to something I'm writing and I didn't want it to influence...

On the to-do list: Change ink cartridges in printer So. I just came back, let's see, 4 days ago, from a culture-sanctioned life-break commonly referred to as: Spring Break. At some point in our culture, everyone got together and agreed that we would celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring with a little time off. The schools let my kids off of the hook. Nobody questions it when my husband takes time off work. We load everything into the car and head out on a family vacation. Which means that I just had a "break." So can someone explain to me why I so badly want another one? Is it Spring Fever? Is it longing for summer? Is it rebellion against the routine? Boredom with the monotony? Overwhelm with all of the activities? I don't know what it is, but I just want a break in the middle of it all. Not a regularly scheduled holiday. Not a culturally-sanctioned vacation. A Break. In the middle. Of it all. In the middle of the school commute. In th...

I recently saw an interview Oprah did with a man named David Brooks. His face looked sort of familiar, but I wouldn't have been able to place it without some background. Turns out he's a writer and political pundit (a term that makes me go, eew). But that's not why Oprah was interviewing him. Apparently, a few years ago it occurred to David Brooks that he, like many of us, might possibly be focusing his energies on the wrong things. I have to believe that Brooks spends much of his work life surrounded by a combination of really smart people, really powerful people and real dirtbags (these categories are likely not mutually exclusive). I imagine this might make the idea of "focusing our energies on the wrong things" even more glaringly obvious than what most of us experience day-to-day. Anyway, I watched this interview and found it really thought-provoking and rather interesting. And then I went back about my regular business. Not long after I watched the in...

A short post today, but I felt the need to share after reading this lovely little picture book with Portia the other night: Fred by Kaila Eunhye Seo It is the sweetest story with a wonderful message for both kids and parents: Imaginary friends are wonderful and we shouldn't let them go as we grow. In fact, they might be even more important to keep with us as we get older. Because sometimes, no matter what your age, you need friend when no one else is around. Plus the art is just lovely. It makes me smile. images pulled from Amazon Until next time, go spend some time with an old friend, imaginary or otherwise...and happy reading! :-)

It is January 28th and I am in full-blown winter funk. Every year I forget how much I detest January and February. And every year, after the brief glow of the new year has worn off, I wander around in a half-asleep haze wondering why I feel so blah. And then I remember...Oh, right, it's January. The days are short and cold. Everyday looks just like the next. I'm now slugging through the routine that seemed a refreshing, new structure back in September. It's all  I've been working on the railroad all the live-long day ... The kids and I are going stir-crazy. Okay, well, it's mostly me. The only breaks from the routine are snow days--one is good, two is too many-- and I spend the whole time wishing they were sand days. Can you imagine waking up one morning around February 1st to a school alert on your cell that reads SAND DAY! Imagine looking out your window to find piles of warm sand, sunshine and lapping waves...and, if we're going to go with t...

Here's a little peek into what I've been reading lately... I'm just going to leave it at that. Until next time, go grab a great book and lose yourself in it for a while. Happy reading, my friends.

It has seriously been a while since I shared a recipe. But it's a new year and I got a new cookbook for Christmas, which means new recipes for all! This past week I tried three recipes from my new cookbook--and all of them were good! Plus, I actually enjoyed cooking this week...which hasn't really been the case of late, so it's a truly wonderful thing! I've done three things to try an add the joy back into my cooking. First, I've simply tried to change my attitude about it. Don't dread it. That goes a long way. Don't worry about the finish line. That means that if we eat a little later than intended, that's okay. No need to stress about it. Just try and relax. Which brings me to number two: Listen to some music. Sometimes I put on my favorite cooking cd-- the soundtrack to the movie Chef...it is the best music to chop and stir to; sometimes I put on my headphones and strap my iPod to my arm with my running band (yes, I see the irony!). But eithe...