Five Things About Me
gneri tagged me, so here goes.
1. I have a brand new holiday layout on my lj. It wasn’t my first choice, but one of the freebie ones. Check it out!
2. I think my new layout is cute and cheery, do you?
3. Numbers 1 & 2 were probably NOT what this meme had in mind by “things you don’t know about me”
4. My son thinks my voice sounds, “just like the pigeon” when I read the “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” books to him. He said so tonight. I’m not sure what this means. Does he talk to the real pigeon when I’m not around or does he remember when I read the other pigeon book last time and thinks my voice sounds the same?
5. I’m nervous to have two kids. How am I going to put them both to bed? How will I have time for both of them and meet all their needs? Ugh. I’m also nervous about my revision notes (upcoming) and my revision. Okay, that’s six.
I tag whoever wants to do this meme cuz I’m too tired to look up my friend’s list!
Thankful Thursday
1. I’m thankful for all the Usual Suspects: Son, Husband, Baby-on-the-way–can never tire of being thankful for these delightful people.
2. I’m thankful that the school craft bazaar was this morning and there was (drum roll please) complimentary decaf coffee (peet’s!) AND complimentary bagels and cream cheese from my favorite bagel joint after I dropped off the boy (well, after he ran into his classroom). Food makes me VERY happy these days; especially free food.
3. I’m thankful that everyone around me is so supportive of my new bizarro pregnancy behavior (the cheapness, the food addiction, the going-to-sleep-at-7pm, the mood swings, and other odd events that happen daily.
4. I’m thankful that my editor is super awesome and when she writes me emails I feel like she’s a friend and that she is 100% behind my book and is working so hard to make it as good as possible.
5. I’m thankful that our awesome surfer-dude-hippie-guy friend, Erik, came over to play with E-man last night while I directed our first dress rehearsal; they have so much fun together and it’s especially a delight because we used to babysit HIM when he was little and now he is babysitting our son. Yes, writing things like that make me choke up now and weep. See #3. But I’m still thankful.
Almost Legit…
Mornin’ everybody (well, afternoon for east coast peeps). I just mailed my four contracts to Sara in New York and I’m so cheap that I sent them ground mail instead of express. How bad is that? Don’t you think my book contracts would be worth an express mailing? But I was like, “Oh, ground should be fine.” The Fed Ex/Kinkos guy was laughing–he said, “As long as it gets there, right?”
Speaking of New York: My sister and I ARE going to go on that meet-the-editor/Broadway show trip after all! We’re going the third week of January instead of in December, because the holiday prices were just too crazy…I’ll still be in my second trimester, feeling good and not too Grimace-like yet (hopefully.)
On the husband-writing front: remember I told you he wrote that beautiful picture book? Well, he got his first rejection, but it was LOVELY! It said, “the script is beautifully written” but they already had a picture book about dance coming out in ’09. I told him this is par for the course. If he got an acceptance his very first time out of the gate he couldn’t be a member of Writer’s Camp Life. Am I right or am I right? (And what is with all the sports analogies??)
Have a great day, everyone!
More Holiday Fun
You were all so right–this movie is adorable!
I took my little boy and his two young friends (ages 4 and 6) and their mom to see it today. E loved the whole thing–he even got into the romance! At the end of the movie he was whispering, “Kiss her, kiss her!” and making smooching noises and he keeps bowing to me and saying, “Yes, my princess…” So so cute.
Also a tip on what to do with that platter of leftover turkey: Turkey Tetrazzini. It’s like chicken tetrazzini, but…not. It’s the perfect overcast day/chilly night comfort food–reminiscent of Brady Bunch era meals–complete with a can of Cambells Cream of Celery Soup. I just whipped it up and it’s in the oven cooking right now.
Husband is in the dining room w/ E building a flying saucer out of the gingerbread house kit and trying to pry the candy out of E’s sugar-addicted fingers. No small task.
Wishing you a nice evening and hoping you all had an enchanting holiday weekend…
What Donuts and Boot Camp have in Common
Conversation with the Big Buff Personal Trainer Corner Store Clerk
Me: Do you have any bagels today?
Him: No. Sorry.
Me: (Eye two chocolate donuts and two with rainbow sprinkles)
Him: But I do have your dry cleaning
Me: Great. Do you have any decaf coffee?
Him: Yes…just made it…
Me: …And a chocolate donut please
Him: Okay. (Eyes me for a minute as I pour milk and sugar into my decaf) Can I ask you a personal question?
Me: Um. Sure.
Him: Do you work out much?
Me: Um. Well. (Staring down at donut in hand) I used to do pool aerobics twice a week. (True) and yoga (Does two years ago count?) But now I’m pregnant…so…(glances at donut again–it’s my get out of exercising free card, right? Maybe not.)
Him: I’m thinking of starting a Boot Camp for new moms. Would you be interested?
Me: (Stomach growling. Want to eat donut) Um. What time would it be?
Him: Around a quarter to six…
Me: In the morning?
Him: Yes.
Me: Well, I bet A LOT of people in the neighborhood would be interested! But my baby isn’t due until May…(Good luck. And P.S.: Let’s NEVER talk about anything other than bagels or donuts ever again.)
Book Contract Arrived! And some mini drama arrived with it!
My contract arrived today! It was so exciting to see my name as author and SEA as “the work” and to try and figure out the jargon and then…I almost had a heart attack when I got to a clause that said, “Two hard copies of “the work” due December 1 or…”
December 1? My editor just wrote and said she’d have my notes by Thanksgiving weekend so that would be impossible to get my edits done in time! Panicking that I’d get dropped, my still unsigned contract null and void, I wrote my lovely agent and editor and they wrote back right away ensuring me that all is well. The date is just a placeholder and I can change it to February 1 (insert huge sigh of relief).
All in all, it’s a pretty cool contract. I’ve only read through it once, but my husband is reading it now and I think I’ll have another crack at it before bed. =)
Lose 31 Pounds Before Christmas!! (Sayeth the cover of a magazine)
Uh. Why would ANYONE try and lose weight BEFORE and DURING the holidays??
(Sayeth the person who currently eats five meals a day…)
Mmmmm…
ATONEMENT: Literal adaptation of the book and Suddenly I Am a Soccer Mom
I saw the preview for the movie adaptation of the book this weekend and it looked so good! I’m even more interested after I just read this quote from the director: “Filmmakers always say, ‘There comes a point when you have to throw the book away. I never understood why.’” I agree! So he went on to direct a pretty literal adaptation of the novel, which I haven’t read yet.
Have any of you read it? What did you think?
In other news: my little boy is scared of his soccer coach because he’s big, has a loud voice and an even louder whistle, so I came with him to class today and participated and you know what? It WAS kinda scary! There were a lot of different games with high expectations. If I was two feet shorter, I would be intimidated too! He had a great time with me there though and since I’m already on “staff” at his preschool it was fine, and my little drama kids that are also in soccer, were climbing all over me, holding my hand and happy I was there. I was just like him when I was a little girl, really sensitive, and I just don’t ever want him to feel afraid of something that’s supposed to be fun, you know?
Weekend Fun
Hi everyone–hope you all had a great weekend. My mom was visiting and we had such fun! Our house was like a B&B thanks to my sweet husband who made an amazing dinner Saturday night for us all: asparagus soup from scratch, grilled salmon, garlic mashed potatoes–I was so stuffed I couldn’t even eat dessert. On Sunday morning he made delicious scrambled eggs with jack cheese and ham and raisin toast bread. Yummm…My mom and I saw saw “Dan in Real Life” on Saturday, which we both loved. I was laughing the whole time and it was a really sweet family story. And for those of us who write for teens: the teenage daughter’s were hilarious. Some of the best one-liners I’ve heard in awhile–and the song about pig-nose was worth the price of admission. My husband, who deserved a nice long break, went hiking with his brother in the coastal mountains on Sunday and my mom and I took our boy to see “Bee Movie”, which was quite cute (and funny, and had a nice environmental message about how we all need to work together to make our world work.) E enjoyed the bulk gummy bears/worms/fish/m&m mix his Grandy bought him and he liked the movie too. Now it’s Monday and Mom just left and I’m exhausted, but happy after such a nice visit. Think I’ll go take a nap now.
Have a good week, everyone!
It may be cheesy, but I really want to see this…
On Broadway!
My sister and I were just talking. We LOVED the cheesy, leg-warmers, Olivia Newton-John roller skating in Santa Monica, musical love fest that is the movie of Xanadu. And we want to see it on Broadway. And I was thinking…I’ve done virtually nothing to celebrate the sale of my book. We were head-high in Brain Camp when I got my offer, then I was sick for three months with the little princess living in my belly and now I’m just going to get bigger and bigger and. you get the picture.
My sister suggested we go to New York. Just for a long weekend. See a show. See the Christmas decorations (I love New York at Christmas.) I could meet my editor and my agent and…see, the possibilities are endless.
Whaddaya think? Should I go?
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