I Am Sooooo Bad...

Hubby and I are selfish. Why, you ask? Because we have reserved seat tickets to see Harry Potter tonight, and we are going sans kids.

Initially, we thought the movie was PG-13. Whenever that happens, we have to "see it first" to make sure we know when to cover our kids' eyes/tell them to look at their popcorn, etc.. But to our surprise, this latest installment is only rated PG.

And we're still going without the kids. Yeah, we're bad! :-)

Oh well. We'll take them next weekend, when it isn't completely sold out. We've already told them, and they're OK with it.

This week has flown by. I had a small computer debacle, where I thought my laptop had finally bit it. Since I'm in Query Mode, I need a good computer. So, I took the kids' desktop and made it mine, temporarily. But now, I really like their computer (it has Windows Vista and mine only has XP) and theirs is much faster. Turns out the laptop is fine, the wireless mouse was acting up and finally going out, so I replaced the mouse and the kids like my laptop, so we're all happy. Only I had to waste an entire day wiping/loading my software and files onto the new computer. Can you say S-L-O-W and tedious?

Soccer camp, Volleyball camp, Basketball camp and swimming lessons are over. I guess I sort of planned things wrong, the front of Summer was heavy with sports and lessons, now the back half is relatively unscheduled. So, I've promised my kids I will take them to the pool at least twice a week (brrrr--we're in Wisconsin, remember) and we will go on a long walk every morning. And make some trips to Half Price Books. And maybe the Zoo.

They need to be kids, after all, you know. I am a firm believer in summers where you don't have to wake up at 6:30 am.

Have a happy weekend, all!

YES! YES! YES!!!

So, I'm at the grocery store, and what do I see at the checkout? Juicy Fruit Gum!!! You have no idea how many childhood memories that gum holds for me. But, alas, I haven't chewed it in AGES. Why?

Sugar, for one thing. Also, the flavor, although delish, only lasts for about 45 seconds, and then it turns into a piece of flavorless rubber in your mouth and must be spit out.


So, imagine my joy, when I see THIS:~

I love those big E-paks of gum anyway. And It's my beloved Juicy Fruit! AND IT'S SUGAR FREE!!!! THAT is the kicker! I am ecstatic! And yes, it tastes just as good as the original. And it lasts a lot longer flavorwise. Seriously! You must run out to Walmart right now and buy this gum! Woooo!!!

Not that I'm EXCITED, or anything... ;-)

The Big "D."

Poor Thing Four. Road trip food does NOT agree with him. For example, we pulled into West Yellowstone three nights ago, and when we got into the hotel, we realized he had pooped so much it had run down his legs and into his shoes and all over the floor.

Yeah, THAT was a fun cleanup.

And the road trip home, we had two more "incidents" just like it.

And this morning. I drop the kids off at volleyball/soccer camps and run home, and just as I'm pulling him out of his car seat he says to me:

"I don't have Diarrhea, Mom."

So, I ranlikehell into the house and got him on a towel, and it was EVERYWHERE. ICK.

I am getting a little tired of getting poop everywhere when I change him, and having to throw him in the tub more than once a day. It's dang inconvenient. He's a sweetheart about it, and for heaven's sake he's not potty trained, so I can't get mad at him. But I've learned to recognize the signs--he asks for a "cuppy" (that means he pooped and his bum hurts and he needs a sippy cup to make him feel better) and he walks up to me and says "I don't have poop, Mom." So, if he does either of those, I know to change him immediately.

Yeah, I'm sure you really wanted to know about all this. I just feel bad for him.

I accomplished a lot yesterday, and today I have a lot more to knock out. At least we're unpacked, that has to be some sort of record or something. Usually my suitcases sit in the living room for at least a day or two before I even touch them. Nope, not this time. I got them emptied and put away.

I promise I will post vacation pics at some point, I just need to garner the energy.

I'm BACK!!!!

We got back from vacation last night. On the road, with hardly any cell service through Yellowstone and the Badlands, it was a blast. But we are T-I-R-E-D. Hubby and I went to bed at 8pm last night, right after we tucked in the kids. After driving 28 hours, we were beat.

I will post some pics tomorrow, and tell all about vacation. Today, I have about 832527 places to run and things to do. I've already dropped Thing One off at her Volleyball camp and Thing Three off at his Soccer camp. Now I need to make thing Two help me get the garbage out and pick up the mail. Off I go!

Oh, and we have a new car, now! Gone is the Expedition. Hello Sequoia:I've always like white. I begged Hubby for white. He thought I was weird, but now I have my white SUV like I've always wanted! Woo! It's a little like being in an airplane cockpit, but it's nice and big and I love it. The new family bus has arrived!

Murphy's Law Number 84736:

When visiting family you haven't seen in over a year, you will get the stomach flu and not be able to actually DO anything with said family...

Yep, that was me yesterday. I flew into Spokane Sunday, and at least got to spend a lovely evening with the family. But in the morning...yuck. I don't know what I ate, or if it was such an intense migraine that I was violently sick, but I was out for the count yesterday. But it was nice to be curled up with dad's blanket on the sofa (he wasn't too happy about that) all day and watch movies.

Now I'm getting ready to head out for a pedicure, then it's downtown to meet bro and sis for lunch. Hubby and kids are all back in Idaho, and I miss them, but it's been a nice break. They will be on the lake all day anyway today, and I am so fair skinned I always get a burn. Although I will say Hubby's tan looks pretty sexy! Woo! ;-)

ANYWAY, our Fourth of July was funny. Grandpa and the Uncles spent hundreds of $$ on fireworks, and we started setting them off in front of the driveway, with all the cousins and kids lined up to watch. My two-year old insisted on holding a sparkler, so I held it for him, and he grabbed it (of course) so we had an intense moment where we had to run inside and treat a nasty burn streak on his thumb.

So, we start setting of the fireworks, and they're fun, but you can see so many multi-colored fountains and after a while it's not that exciting. And of course we had neighbhors on BOTH sides who had the fireworks they'd bought on the Indian reservation--the almost/slighly illegal ones that are HUGE and shoot into the sky, so the kids were looking at those and they pretty much stole our thunder. But we had fun, the mosquitoes didn't eat us up too much, and then it was banana splits and watching Transformers. (the first one, because it was 12:30 am and we had lots of little kids).

I love being with family for the holidays. Yeah, we have drama, and it makes things...interesting sometimes, but your family is your family. Hubby and I can't wait to get back home, though, and get some rest from our vacation. Yeah, I wrote that correctly! ;-)

Have a happy Tuesday, all!

Note to self: When planning to be on the lake for an entire day in a boat, when applying copious amounts of sunscreen, DO NOT FORGET THE PART IN YOUR HAIR.

Yeah, I found that out. The next day, I was fresh out of the shower and running a comb through my hair, and I SCREAMED. My scalp was burned from where I'd parted my hair--really burned. PAIN. AGONY.

Now it's just peeling. Yeah. I have dark brown hair. Lovely. I look like I have lice.

It's Hot.

My vacation so far has been...HOT. Thing Three got drafted to play on his cousin's baseball team last night, and we sat in the boiling sun in 100 degree weather for two hours. Thing Three did awesome, he had base hits every time and he had a key play, so it was a boost for him. And he doesn't even play baseball! But the baby had HAD IT by seven pm and we had to leave a little early, and get him into some air conditioning.

Then it was off to Mexican food at this dive no one has ever been to, and I wish I could say it was good (most dive-ey places have really great food) but the food was gross.

We're back to the lake again today, and I am going to simply ride on a TUBE behind the boat. And wear SPF 99735473, because I am scared of melanoma.

Cross your fingers for me!

Just in Case You Wondered...

I am on vacation for the next two weeks! My favorite part of the road trip so far, was the glowing guts on our windshield at dusk last night (poor lightning bugs) when we were driving 90 mph in Wyoming. YUM.

Blogging will be sporadic, but I will try! For now, I have a date with a wakeboard!

Peace Out!

Interview with Jenny Storm!

Hello All,

My fellow writing colleague and good friend, Jenny Storm, is here to talk to us about her new YA release, DIXIE DUST RUMORS. Be sure and check out the Jenny Storm webpage by clicking here. Here’s a quick blurb about her upcoming book from eTreasures Publishing, available in ebook now. Click here to purchase your copy today!

Who could be luckier than a young girl whose father trains racehorses? That is, until
false accusations could cause the loss of not only their livelihood and the horses they
love, but their dreams. Due to the belief that horse racing is a crooked sport, even
unsubstantiated rumors can be fatal to a trainer’s career.

Twelve-year-old Rose Olen is
determined to find out why a journalist printed innuendos that make her father’s
business practices sound unethical without checking facts. Aided by her friends Maya
Sanchez and Libby Kim, and her younger brother Simon, they investigate the charges
and come up with a scheme to foil the reporter. They juggle responsibilities at school,
the contempt and ridicule from other students, and responsibilities at the track as they
search for the truth behind the Dixie Dust Rumors.

And here's a Q&A with Jenny Storm:

What was the inspiration for this book?

JS: Several years ago, an excellent jockey was accused of impropriety in a big race by
a so-called journalist with only two published articles to his name. It was ridiculous and
infuriating, a way for this pseudo-journalist to get attention during a prominent race. Any
four-year-old could see there was nothing to the story. The racing community
investigated, as they must, and the jockey was cleared. But the days and weeks during
the investigation gave the vindictive ample opportunity to unfairly malign the horse, the
jockey, the trainer, the owners, etc. The situation made me angry. I’d wanted to write a
YA set against horse racing, and I started playing the “what if?” game. The story came
together very quickly, although, as it developed, it unfolded very differently than what
inspired it. Which is as it should be -- I’m writing fiction!

This is your first Young Adult novel. What inspired you to write YA?

JS: I’ve always loved reading YA, and I wanted to write something along the lines of what I read. I didn’t want it to be too saccharine, the way some of them are, but not too dark, either, the way so many YA go recently.

Is there a specific inspiration behind the character names in your story? What is your process for character name selection?

JS: The characters often come to me already named. Sometimes, in fantasy, I’ll look in a particular culture and find a name with a particular meaning relevant to the story, but in DIXIE DUST, the characters arrived and told me who they were.

What research did you do for this story?

JS: It grew out of the writing I already did about horse racing, and the time I spent at the race track. It’s difficult to be in that world – a very demanding life. Everything you do is scheduled around the needs of the horses. A lot of the research was spent hanging out seeing how a day works. I changed a few things to serve the needs of the story and the focus on how what happens at the track affects Rose and Simon at school, but in the life of someone in this profession, the horses must always come first.

Your protagonist is a twelve-year old girl. Was it difficult to “get into” Rose’s head?

JS: Not really. I think she’s emotionally younger than a lot of girls her age nowadays. She’s more like the 12 year olds back when I was 12 – which is quite awhile ago! ;) She’s got a good sense of right and wrong, and she’s very compassionate. Sometimes, she’s too compassionate, seeing all sides of an issue and worrying. She must be a Libra!

Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book?

JS: I wanted to keep it on the younger, more innocent side of the age range, just because there’s so much in the darker, grittier, more realistic (even in paranormal) arena. I didn’t want to “write down” to anyone, but I wanted my characters to still get to be kids, which I think a lot of kids don’t get to do anymore. There’s interest in dating and boys and crushes and all of that, but she and her friends aren’t sneaking around having sex in the basement. It’s not yet an issue for them, even though there are plenty of twelve-year-olds out there having sex. She’s simply not one of them. She understands how all the piece fit together, but she’s not at the point where she’s ready to experiment. Rose has a lot of household responsibilities someone her age might not otherwise have because her mom died, her Dad has to be at the track at all hours, and she’s got a younger brother. She does a lot of the cooking, she worries about running the house. But I didn’t want her to try to dress like a pop star or spend all her time at the mall, either. Honestly, most of the teen and about-to-be teens I come into contact with might act like they don’t care about much, but they’re very politically and socially aware and active. I was in a mall last week (oh horrors) to get something at the Apple Store, and a group of young teens were wandering around talking about the conflict in Iran, really discussing it, following it on Twitter, etc. There’s a real sense of social justice emerging in that age group that I don’t feel is represented very often. On the other hand, I didn’t want to preach. As I sad before, she’s more like a twelve-year old of the 1970s than a twelve-year old post 9/11. I wanted to give her a lot of room to grow.

Honestly, I worried more about language, etc. because parents tend to freak out more than kids. We weren’t allow to swear at home (my father said it was a lazy mis-use of language – take the time to find the word with the actual meaning you want to convey rather than slotting in a curse). I was never forbidden to read ANYTHING growing up, but I had to be prepared to discuss it in depth, and my parents would explain why they disagreed with something in a book, whether it was on a level of value or ethics or language or whatever. Too often, parents believe if they forbid their kids to read something, they’re protecting them. The truth is, if the kid wants to read it, he or she will find a way. You might as well encourage it and then discuss why it doesn’t fit in with your own beliefs.

It is clear you are fond of horses and horseracing. How did this come about?

JS: I’ve loved horses since I was a little kid, although I didn’t get a chance to learn how to ride until I was 15, and I haven’t ridden much since. I’d have to go back and start from scratch. I love the individual personality of each horse, the unique qualities, the beauty. People don’t realize how intelligent most horses are. They are prey, not predators, so they respond to the world in that way, but they are also capable of enormous trust and love. And most horses have a tremendous sense of humor. There are definitely things that need to be changed and improved in the sport, but, at its best, it’s pretty wonderful.

Other than thoroughbreds, my other favorite breed of horse is the Morgan. I want to write more about Morgans in the future. Talk about curious and funny – they’re spectacular.

Jenny Storm publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction.
She’s been a fan of thoroughbred racing since she was seven years old, and has written about the sport since 1999. She loves and collects YA mystery series from the early 20th century, such as Nancy Drew, Beverly Gray, Judy Bolton, Ruth Fielding, et al. She wanted to grow up to be either Nancy Drew or Beverly Gray, but writing many characters’ adventures is even better. Visit her webpage:
www.devonellingtonwork.com/jennystorm.html and her MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/jennystormya.

Running to go get my car's oil changed! Why I set it for 8:30 am is beyond me. Maybe because I just need to get it DONE.

I'm on vacation in two days!!!