Sunday, May 17, 2009

How Daring Can you be?





My last post was a true confession about how hard it is for me to let go of the girls and start letting them learn for themselves the consequences of life's challenges.

I am committed to doing that.

But, I'm equally attracted to offering them as many educational and cultural experiences as possible. Just yesterday I was telling them hello in six different languages and playing Spanish music. I want, for them, many of the things I didn't have as a kid.

I was recently honored to be asked to participate in a blog book shower for the next awesome book by Andrea L. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Last year, I wrote a review of their first "Daring Book for Girls," which I have proudly displayed on a shelf.

Now, I'm even happier to display next to it the next volume: "The Double-Daring Book for Girls."

For this shower, we were supposed to actually DO one of the activities. Well, I didn't want to just do it myself so I had to find one that was good enough for the girls, now 3, to do as well.

I chose rock stacking. I've been wanting to do some rock activities lately because there are so many of them out there circulating the blogs. I'm sure I played with rocks a lot as a kid but I don't recall ever stacking them like blocks.

We first went out with the girls' little pink wagons and collected some rocks in the back, backyard. They enjoyed that part alone.

Then we took them to the deck and just started stacking them. They lost interested in about five minutes but I kept stacking and stacking. I thought it was a ton of fun. I didn't realize the challenge it would be to make them stack higher and higher.

I was able to stack 8 rocks at the most. Can you beat that????? I'm supposed to challenge my readers to be my performance so if you have any luck, let me know in the comments, please!

Rock stacking a great multi-step activity to do because once you gather them, you can wash them and then paint them. Once painted, you can add pictures on them to depict story characters to tell stories outside (or inside on a rainy day).

And, if you want more cool things to try that are new, that might inspire you in some new way today, pick up the Double-Daring Book for Girls today.

It does rock. You'll be smarter for it, too. Just don't let your kids knock them over too soon.






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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

On Writing and Motherhood


It's 6:15 a.m.

There are times when I realize that I could let them go a bit more, yes. But there are other times, especially lately, when ...

Hey, Mommy, Liana said next week about a movie and she got in my face.

I realize that this is my life, the constant interruptions of one or the other or this or that even when I do try not to intervene.

And so ...

Mommy? (Yes Liana) I want to wear my blip on my belly. What?

As I was saying, I am trying to ...

Mommy, I want to get a movie, too.

actually write and complete the novel that I have been ...

Mommy, I can get a movie; I want a movie.

working on for 10 years. I never finished it because, well, as a single woman and then as a childless wife suffering through infertility, I never had time.

MOMMY, I WANT TO GET A MOVIE!!

Funny, that concept of time, isn't it? The best time lately for writing has been right around bedtime. I'm tired as all get out, but it's the only hour I have that's uninterrupted and quiet. The man is on the couch, watching TV, and the kids are USUALLY sleeping soundly.

Blaahhhh! (Jadyn pushes Liana)

"Waaahhhh!"

And I wonder now what I was so busy doing way back then when life wasn't crazy like this?

Then again, I have more drive now than ever to finish it and I think it could be because of them.

Other things have helped me reach the 50,000-word mark as well lately. More on that later. Gotta be mom now.

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