Trials & Achievements - sorting through it all

My kids are off playing with friends so that I can:

1) Find the kitchen sink
2) Catch up on my emails
3) Send out more press releases
4) Start getting the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends
5) Get laundry done

Hmmm . . . I don't think my friend is prepared to take on two kids for as long as it will take me to accomplish all of those tasks (days, perhaps). I guess I'll just have to make do with the 2.5 remaining hours until their return.

I'm happy to report:

1) I'll have not one, but two, guest blog posts out in the world in the next few weeks. Yes, folks, these are definitely more formal than what you'll find here. They are starting to inspire me to tighten up my posts here, but I'm not ready for that adjustment until the new year. Hang with me until then, though, won't you?!
2) I've officially been named as a Contributor on Bookieboo, a "Fitness Hangout for Moms"! You can find my women's and children's fitness/health book reviews there. Strange name, but the social site is truly filled with great bits of wisdom and insight about pregnancy, childbirth, parenting . . . and FITNESS. My fellow contributors are experts in fitness, nutrition, childbirth, etc. Stop by - it is definitely worth checking out!
3) As of next Monday I should be one degree closer to Kevin Bacon. I'll be on Chat with Women, a radio show that also hosted Whoopi Goldberg as part of the book launch tour for the book series Sugar Plum Ballerinas. You can listen to the show live Monday, December 1st at 8AM PST (I believe), and it will be available on the website for you to listen at your leisure!

Darn, I'm down to 2.25 hours before the kids return. I'll just leave THAT as my big Trial for the day - and head off to see how many of those items from the first list I can accomplish!

Wishing you the best as you tackle your trials and celebrate your achievements this week - and be sure to leave a comment so I can pass along some extra words of encouragement for those bumps in the road or celebrate something wonderful with you!

Tuesday Trials & Achievements: Support Your Favorite Authors

First a big HOORAY to celebrate the achievement of a fellow author:

Congratulations to author PJ Hoover - today is the official release date of her book The Emerald Tablet! Be sure to read my review of her book here and then stop by her blog to wish her a wonderful day, because for authors Book Release Day is much like a child's birthday. A big deal. A really big deal. But if you've read my blog before, you already know that!

And now onto a discussion of a related on-going trial:

PJ sent out a great announcement email this morning. And it struck me, now that I'm 6 months into this published book world myself, that a significant chunk of the success of an author really does lie in the hands of READERS!

Think about your own reading cycle:

1. You pick out a book (either because it LOOKS interesting or because ANOTHER reader tells you it is).
2. You read the book.
3. You tell others about the book (either that they SHOULD read it, or that they should AVOID it - and why).
4. The cycle repeats with the next book. And if you recommended the book, the cycle repeats for the book with another reader (or thousands!).

In her announcement email, PJ Hoover included a great list of things readers can do to help celebrate and spread the word about their favorite books (which is especially helpful for first-time authors and small presses who don't have the big house man/woman power behind them). I think it is such a great list that I'm including it here. While PJ created the list to help publicize her book, The Emerald Tablet, but I think it is applicable to any book/author that you enjoy (maybe even a yellow-hatted girl who loves to run - I think you know who SHE is, right? - and her book, or her author friend Carol Goodrow):

- Buy THE BOOK!
- Tell everyone you meet to buy THE BOOK.
- Review THE BOOK and post the review on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Good reviews are even better. Brianna's note: It is even better if you've taken the time to review at least one other book - it adds credibility to your review and helps YOU with your writing skills!
- Suggest THE BOOK as the kid's book pick for Al Roker on The Today Show or for Oprah Winfrey's kid's book list.
- Give THE BOOK as a gift to every kid you know.
- Make THE BOOK your standard holiday gift this season. Remember it come birthday party time, also!
- If you order it at the bookstore, suggest they order a few more copies to keep in stock!
- Recommend THE BOOK to your school or public library and ask that they order it for their shelves.
- Blog about THE BOOK or THE AUTHOR or both.
- Suggest THE AUTHOR to your school librarian for an author visit. Brianna's added tip: Coordinate visits with neighboring schools/clubs to share travel costs and make a visit affordable for everyone!
- Have your kid recommend THE BOOK as a read-aloud book in their classroom.
- Interview THE AUTHOR, write an article about THE AUTHOR, or even just mention THE AUTHOR in passing to an old acquaintance.
- Use THE BOOK in your book club.
- Form a book club for your kids if needed just for this purpose.

Other ideas I have:
- Use THE BOOK (or related products) as a fundraiser to support a cause (check with the publisher for how you can do this!).
- Donate a copy of THE BOOK to a local Boys & Girls Club or community center.
- Write a letter to THE AUTHOR or THE PUBLISHER about why you like THE BOOK (they may include it on their website!).
- Take advantage of special offers THE AUTHOR or THE PUBLISHER provide for buying THE BOOK and share the offer with other readers.
- Visit THE AUTHOR's blog and leave a comment.

How about YOU? What suggestions do you have for supporting your favorite author?

No Trials, Just Achievements

I'm happy to report that my 3 days of one-on-one time with my son were fantastic. And, they're finishing out just at the right time. As much fun as we've enjoyed together, we both miss the other half of our family and look forward to their return tomorrow afternoon! In fact, Mr. Music asked today if he could get together with Little Sister to play (nothing like setting up a formal play date with your sibling!). While Mr. Music was at school (or sleeping), I enjoyed time to myself, too.

Some of the things I was able to accomplish so far this week . . .

1. Not one, but TWO runs with super dog Albus.

2. Not one, but TWO sessions with the balance ball

3. I cleared out my computer cabinet - not just the space surrounding the monitor and keyboard, but the two shelves above the computer space, too. Rock on!

4. I cleaned out my half of the closet and already have the box of donations in the car to drop-off to the wonderful folks at Goodwill tomorrow

5. Three junk piles in the kitchen no longer exist

6. I FILLED the shredder AND the recycle bin

7. I washed the dog (who rolled in poop - oh, so lovely . . . now the shower needs cleaning, too)

8. I walked three children a mile to a park and a mile back to the house

9. My son and I finished The Mouse and the Motorcycle

10. We mailed a birthday gift 2 weeks in advance (instead of 2 weeks late!)

I told you this time would be cleansing, uplifting and energizing! I look forward to continuing to roll with this positive energy. What more can I knock out this month? What can YOU knock out this month?

Any achievements you'd like to celebrate?! Don't hold back - let me know by leaving a comment!

Trials & Achievements - Scrambled Brain!

Yesterday I crossed more off my To Do list than I ever thought was possible. Today I'd love to keep the momentum from yesterday going, but for some reason I can't even figure out where to START. I guess that's half the battle for most things - the courage and drive to START a task. Once we make that initial first step, momentum &/or gravity take over and before we know it, we've FINISHED. I'm looking forward to finishing some things here before too long . . . if I can just get to that START line!

My pressing trials:
- finishing my daughter's quilt so I can clean up the sewing room
- developing a method for clearing the piles of junk out of our house (I'm hopeful that fewer junk piles to look at will also de-clutter my brain!)
- writing a few articles for guest blog posts and newspapers - I seem to have writer's block in the worst way
- developing a workout schedule and sticking with it. This girl needs to get out and RUN, no excuses (again, this will de-clutter my brain!)
- getting Mr. Music to get put together in the mornings so we can leave on-time (I'm reading the book Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child by Robert J. MacKenzie to help with this and many other scenarios we've been experiencing throughout Mr. Music's 4 years here on this planet - he IS a strong-willed little guy . . . and we love him . . . and we'd like him to enjoy a good long life . . . in harmony with those around him!!!)

My recent achievements:
- another good sized book order from our wholesaler
- I finished the book I'll review for you next
- I sent over 100 items to the consignment sale (will know within 30 days how successful it was - the wait is HARD!)
- making mini cupcakes with the kids after a rough day yesterday

Any recent trials or achievements you'd like to share?

Hope your week is going well! I'll probably add some links before the day is out, but the grocery store calls - we can't eat JUST mini cupcakes for dinner. :)

Trials & Achievements - How is it October already?

I'm heading to the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss concert tonight (and to dinner beforehand with my husband!), so my time here will be zippy.

Here are some recent trials I'm working to overcome (mostly life balance related!):

1. A bit of a break from doing work things has been refreshing and has allowed me to do more things on the homefront, but now work-related projects are creeping up on me and I'm not sure how to work them back into my life!

2. I'm struggling with how to strike a balance between how our family is used to living and being more environmentally aware. Being green isn't always a cheap way to go, but it is definitely smarter and has a positive long-lasting impression. More on this to come, for sure.

Some recent achievements I'm excited about:

1. Next week we're taking our first step toward carpooling for pre-school. Since the kids are young (3 & 4), the other mother and I are taking it slowly so that it is as easy as possible on the kids. We'll have a bit of a playdate one afternoon and then each do one pick-up from school later in the week. Wish us luck - this will be FABULOUS for time and gas savings if the kids roll well with it (11 miles each way)!!!

2. Little Sister's room is painted. Turns out the walls never really were painted before (or maybe just once in 10 years, we're guessing) - so they soaked up TONS of paint. It took nearly 2 full gallons to cover 4 relatively small walls. But, it is done and looks fresh and happy.

3. My wonderful readers are reaching out to their local bookstores to ask them to carry We Are Girls Who Love to Run! We're starting to get requests from bookstores that order through a different distributor than the 3 we use to order directly from us. Very few things are more satisfying to an author than to hear that her books are in demand!

4. I tagged over 100 items to sell at a big children's and maternity consignment sale this weekend in Seattle. I'll haul them all to the event Friday afternoon and hope that most of them will sell on Saturday & Sunday! If it goes well, I'll be even more thorough in getting things ready for the spring sale (I didn't go through accessories and such this time around, just clothing). The great thing about the sale is I had a choice to donate what doesn't sell to a local charity or have them set it aside for me to pick-up. Everybody wins at these events!!!

Off to pack the kids for their overnight at my parents' and then get myself out of my mom duds and into some fancy concert-going attire. Think I'll remember how to put on make-up?

What are your recent trials? Have an achievement you'd love to celebrate with us? Be sure to leave a comment!

Tuesday - Trials & Achievements (A healthy mix of both)

I'm pretty sure I've never posted at 6PM before, though I'm now 125 posts into this little blogging experience (how'd THAT happen?!), so maybe one or two of them were post-dinner ramblings. I'm writing now because my husband and dad took the kids to Lowe's so I could have some time to myself. I even passed up the opportunity to join my mom and her sister for a trip to Ben Franklin to look at quilt fabric and then a viewing of Mama Mia. Yup, sometimes it is just nice to be able to sit back and breathe once and awhile.

Can you hear that? What, you don't hear anything? Me neither!!!! That's because there is nothing to hear but the sound of the click-clacking of the keys as I type. I can even take a break from this to make myself a cappuchino because I'm not trying to get it all in while one kid is napping and the other is listening to the shortest book on tape in the world!

This is me leaving to make myself that yummy coffee treat (I'll of course follow it up with a tall glass of water, because if I play my cards right, I'll get a run in this evening after the kids go to bed - could happen!). And there's no danger of little fingers typing their own little message while I'm gone!

OK, the machine is warming up. I love our espresso machine - and to think I thought my husband was crazy for wanting something a bit more "splurgy" (if that isn't already a word, it is now) like our Magnifica!

So, here are my current trials:

- There's a business event I SHOULD go to on Thursday night (and I want to go, too). BUT, that same night would also be great to get back to yoga or even attend a Design Your Own Annabelle Handbag Party (here's a sample from the Spring line. The fall fabrics aren't on the site yet - they're being unveiled on Thursday!). Know how I can be in three places at once? Me neither. POM - I see how you feel with wanting to ditch the "special stuff" to just have down time!

- summer is nearly over and I'm trying to cram the remaining items of our "Summer Wish List" into these last 2 weeks, which seems silly because . . . the onset of school doesn't mean that we can't have adventures and, as recorded history shows us - summer shall return!

- I have 2 newspaper articles to write in the next few weeks (I'd never make it as a staff writer, it just takes me too long to get things the way I want them)

- a stack of press releases need my attention if I'm going to keep book sales going like they are (and they're going well!) without forking out too much of our budget on advertising

- I've verbally committed myself to run the Seattle Half Marathon the weekend of Thanksgiving (sort of a 2 week late 30th birthday gift to myself) but haven't picked a plan

- I'm not sure that there are any training plans that allow you to run while sleeping - know of one?

- My daughter's quilt sits half finished. If I can get it done in the next 2 weeks it can go in our town's annual quilt show.

That being said, there ARE some achievements to celebrate:

- the laundry from our CA trip is DONE!

- After a week of eating out and simple oven-warmed dinners, I made a lasagna from scratch tonight - and the dishes are already in the dishwasher!

- My newspaper article about our quilt shop, The Quilter's Garden, will be in tomorrow's paper

- I have some promising nibbles on some big opportunities for the book

But, enough about me . . . what about YOU? Anything pressing going on this week? Anything you feel like celebrating?

I'm off to find a spoon to get the last of the foam from the bottom of my cup. Yum!

Tuesday - Trials & Achievements (Achievements - hooray!)

Last time I was focused on some trials, but today I'm feeling rather cheery (must be the sunshine instead of fog outside today!), so I'll celebrate some achievements (big and small!):

- Over 50 copies of my book, We Are Girls Who Love to Run were ordered yesterday by wholesalers across the country
- I'll have an article about our local quilt shop in a local newspaper next week (part of year-long weekly series to highlight the local businesses in our little town)
- I'm in the process of writing an article for our OTHER (and my favorite) local paper about a fellow writer (our graphic artist and an amazing illustrator) and his series of children's books about fly fishing that will go to press later this month or early September (the article, not his books - 2 of them are already out!)
- I fell asleep before 11 without taking melatonin and got up around 6:15 without trouble!
- Our master bath now has a fresh coat of warm yellow (what other color would you expect?!) paint, courtesy of my husband (though I DID take the kids to the park for distraction and DID roll half of 2 walls . . . and our son "helped" a bit, too)
- I'm already drinking water this morning. Increased hydration is one of my new goals.
- I have 4 of the 7 rows sewn together for my daughter's quilt (2 are quilted, 2 await my time on the machine!)

Hopefully since the last time I've done a Tuesday post, MizFit was able to finish her article in time for deadline . . . which reminds me that I need to send in my article today.

Nitmos might feel better knowing that today's early morning achievements aren't as grandiose as yesterday's, but I am on the right track: 30 minute stretching/strength training session and a start at blogging by 7:05. Somehow the kids are still sleeping (though now that I've mentioned it, they're bound to wake-up - Murphy's Law).

Have any exciting achievements to report from your daily grind? Have any new goals or trials that are on your plate? Any new knitting projects, Running Knitter?

Ah, and I hear Little Sister stirring now . . . have a great Tuesday!

Tuesday - Trials & Achievements

I am a self-proclaimed "Girl Who Loves to Run" yet . . . I confess that at the question of how my running is going I have to respond:

"Running? What running? I think I ran last Thursday . . . or was it Wednesday? Hmmmm . . . What day is today?"

With the excitement of my mother-in-law visiting the week leading up to July 4th (we had a great visit), the birthday excitement and general summer laziness, I need to get my act back on track with fitness. While I haven't totally ditched my running/yoga routine, it has become lax. So, just as I've revamped the blog, I'm ready to dive head first into a revamp of my workouts. My plans include:

- incorporating some balance ball work into my routine using Liz Applegate's Bounce Your Body Beautiful. When I first got the ball and book I used it regularly for several months. Now, *ahem* YEARS later *ugh!* I need to get back to it. It helped my running then, it should help my running now.


- dedication to at least 1 Vinyasa yoga class/week. Even though the kids have been "off" on their sleeping (ie - waking before 6, napping at different times, needing extra prodding to go to bed) and I'd rather spend the evening vegging on the couch, I'm starting this one tonight. Class is at 6:30, giving my husband time to get home from work so I'm free and clear.

- running a minimum of 3 times/week. At this point I'm not saying how far or how fast. I just need to go. Run. That's all there is to it! The distance and speed shall return once I've got my groove back (and considering I've only been out of my running element for about 2 weeks, that shouldn't be long).

- drinking more water. I think my negligence with hydration has been part of my issue with not wanting to get out to run. *typing pause* There, I just took a second and finished my water. Now off to refill the cup . . . *another pause*

*Edit* - Here's a Trial on a NATIONAL level: Sluggish Teens (really, go read it!)

I just read the article about the drop in exercise time from the elementary years to the middle school and high school years and will be sure to write more on it this week - including some ideas for how we can all work to turn those numbers on their heads!

Maybe next Tuesday I'll be able to write about my achievements in tackling these little fitness trials - be sure to check back.

What is the current trial that you are tackling? Care to share any achievements?