Making My List and Checking it Twice (for Double Points!)

Last year I coordinated a class gift for my son's pre-school teachers. The product was a book of wishes from the students - each kiddo wrote what they wished for each teacher on a page and included a photo of themselves. One of the other moms is a graphic designer so she created beautiful covers for the books and we "bound" them with silver ribbon. Families also pitched in to get the teachers gift certificates from Barnes & Noble and Fred Meyer (for those of you who are unfamiliar with Fred Meyer, it is a store in the Kroger family of grocery stores, but expands to be more like a Target). I was really pleased with how it all came together and the priceless quality of the books - when they were all done, I selfishly wished I could keep a copy for myself!

This year I brainstormed for about two weeks to come up with a class gift idea, but everything sounded ridiculously lame compared to last year's idea. Then my son got sick and my father-in-law visited for a day and before I knew it, this week was over and I hadn't come up with anything. But . . . nobody seemed to even notice! So, I decided that there was no real reason for me to stress over a class gift, especially since it was just a nice gesture and not a true responsibility. Talk about a stress-relieving decision - whew!

Now I'm free to consider what to get the teachers from our family without worrying about everyone else. The decision is really a no-brainer, too: BOOKS!

The lead teacher is an avid knitter and quilter and all-around amazing craftswoman. I don't know how she finds the time to do it all and take care of a barn full of horses and a classroom full of kids, but she does. She truly has the patience of a saint to manage so many tedious things! Yet somehow this remarkable woman hasn't read The Quiltmaker's Gift by the talented combo of author Jeff Brumbeau and illustrator Gail de Marcken. The assistant teacher is a delightfully cheery woman. I don't know her as well since this is her first year with the class, but I know that there is a wonderful book that will call out to me for her as I wander the aisles.

So, here's my plan:

I'm going to get some Barnes & Noble gift cards from Safeway to use for my book purchases for the teachers (and a few other folks on my list that I haven't already found the perfect goodies for). I'll use the cards like cash for my shopping AND I'll get a few more cents discount at the Safeway gas station - not a bad deal! We have three Safeway gas stations near us, so we're sure to put the discounts to use before the Rewards expire at the end of the year.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Well . . .

Safeway has a special promotion going right now - PowerPump Rewards. According to the Safeway site: Now thru 12/25/08 you can earn Double PowerPump Rewards (through regular grocery purchases). Earn an additional Reward for every $100 you spend on Gift Cards. Safeway offers over 300 different Gift Cards from which to choose. The list is BROAD. It includes restaurants like Panera (my son's favorite); electronic/toy stores like Best Buy and Toys R Us; clothing stores like LL Bean and Belk; airlines like Southwest and Jet Blue; entertainment companies like AMC Theaters and Barnes & Noble. . . and MANY MORE! Check out the PowerPump Locator to find a Safeway near you and to see the selection of Gift Cards for yourself.*

I'm not much of a Gift Card giver, since I like to make gifts or pick something meaningful (like SPECIFIC books) for people (hence our mad scramble to finish our Christmas projects mentioned here - photos to be posted next week!). BUT, I think that purchasing Gift Cards to use for our own shopping is an easy way to make the "not-so-mighty" dollar stretch a bit further as we do our best to contribute to our local economy. I also appreciate that you can get Gift Cards for experiences (movie theatres, air travel, hotels, etc.), since I think those are the next best things to books and a good run.

And now that I've refreshed my own memory on the Gift Card selection, we might just have to get a few Southwest cards now to use when we fly down to CA to meet our new nephew!

How about YOU? What Gift Card could you purchase to use for your holiday shopping? Any Gift Cards you would use as gifts?

*Please don't hold me to any details, just check the site for yourself!

Oh, and please know that I checked two local bookstores for The Quiltmaker's Gift first - independent bookstores are gems and I do my best to support them first . . . sort of like ordering books direct from authors/independent publishers when possible!

Readjusting for Balance

My morning run was a great one. I found the perfect pace - even Albus was pleased with our speed (usually he pulls to go faster!) - and could have run forever (our 30 minutes were good, though). I was so completely in the zone with my foot strikes, breathing and noticing the interesting smells around me (dryer sheets, worms, the perfume of the runner that crossed our path, etc.) that I didn't even realize we were running in the rain until my leg brushed against Albus' wet fur. Yes, it was that good of a run. I'm feeling more confident about next Saturday's Riverview Runs Turkey Trot 5K . . . my first race as a 30 year-old (just 2 days after my birthday) - yikes, that's a new age bracket, isn't it?

Today's run, along with some other things, has led me to the decision to make some changes with our family routine (which my husband and I discussed together. I'm no dictator!). Just a few minor tweaks are bound to pay off:

- Tuesday nights will be TV and computer-free. That's right - no blog reading, no CSI watching, no working from home, no Facebook status updates. Monitors will be off. Books will be open, or who knows, we might even pull out a game or *gasp* sit and talk. Time without the kids climbing on us is slim, we really need to do a better job of making those rare moments more about quality and less about technology (which I love, I just need to get other things into my life, too!).

- My husband is returning to yoga. He is slowly getting back into running after a few months off and realizes that he runs best when he has an active yoga practice. Sound familiar? I think he'll go one night and I may go another. We have yet to work out all of these details.

- I'm actively pursuing some bigger media attention for the book. Newspaper articles, radio shows, even TV perhaps! I'm gleaning some knowledge from other authors and working to put it to good use. I'm making Monday nights my Media Night.

- I'm continuing my Balance Ball routine. I know I've mentioned it over and over again, but REALLY the difference in my posture and my running is AMAZING. My body fat has also dropped 2% in the last two weeks and my pants are fitting the way they should. Talk about instant results. I'm passing along the book to my mom - she's excited to try it out, too!

How about YOU? Are you making any new healthy changes to your life routine? Have you found a simple change that has a significant impact on your family's health and life quality?

Gearing up for the Week

Today my son attended "Superhero Training School" at a friend's birthday party. What a time the kids had! The birthday boy's mom had 3 training exercises for the kids to complete:

- superhero listening/honesty building (Simon Says)

- superhero agility/rescue training (obstacle course with the final task of rescuing a citizen from the woods - ie., a baby doll!)

- superhero balance and speed drills (Red Light, Green Light on a slippery hill - that wet hill part was unintentional, but worked out just fine)

At the end of each training session the kids earned parts to their superhero costume - a mask, cape (personalized with each child's first initial - photo to be posted soon, as it is INCREDIBLE!), and superhero arm bands. The kids also went home with a fist-sized tropy that reads: Congratulations: You are an Official Superhero!

It was a great way to spend the afternoon and a fun way to kick-off an adventurous week. And I have a feeling I'll be seeing that special cape fly regularly at my house, which just makes me smile.

All that fun in the beautiful October air (and the runner's high from 2 back-to-back runs this weekend) has me feeling good about starting yet another week. Mr. Music has tomorrow off from school for a Teacher Work Day, so we'll busy ourselves with fall decorating and some baking after we take Little Sister to music class. If the weather holds we'll for sure head outside to enjoy it while it lasts.

Thursday is the preschool's Storybook Character Day. My mom put her Serger to good use this weekend to turn a towel into 4 puppy dog ears, 2 dog tails, and 2 sets of paw-like shoe covers. Mr. Music will be dressed as Mudge from Cynthia Rylant's Henry & Mudge series, as will Little Sister, as she just LOVES dogs. I thought we'd have a riot on our hands if she couldn't be a dog, too. She'll get to wear her costume to music class.

Again, I'm keeping my yellow hat firmly in place in the hopes that we continue to have the sunny, crisp weather we've been enjoying for the past week so I can get a few more good runs in outside. 2 this week would make me a happy camper!

Have a super week!

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!

Friday Flashbacks - Familiar Books

When I initially planned the idea of Friday Flashbacks, I had high school and college memories on the brain. I'm about a month away from the big 3-0, so this year has been filled with thoughts of my formative years. Maybe once the big day arrives I'll be ready to pull my brain out of the past and get to dreaming out the future again (usually I'm a planner and a goal-setter, so this year has felt a bit quirky).

I digress . . .

Thursday my son came home from preschool with the phonics reader "Sam & Al". I nearly fell over when I saw the book. It was the FIRST book I read when I was in Montessori School . . . that's right, do the math - about 27 years ago! So when we got home, there we sat together on the couch as he read it to me. I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed - with pride for my son as his reading skills blossom, and with sentimentality as I think back to those exciting first days when I learned to read. Talk about a flashback!

Though I do enjoy reading the Magic Tree House series to Mr. Music, after 28 books since mid-July, I did insist on taking a break from them. We'll get back to them soon enough, but I just needed to have our conversations be about someone OTHER than Jack or Annie from those books!

I'm mentoring a high school senior for her Senior Project (a learning experience now required for graduation). She's writing a children's book - good pairing, eh? When we met a few weeks ago I suggested that she spend a bit of time revisiting children's literature so she could get a good idea of how authors develop characters and keep stories flowing. Good writers are avid readers, and while I know she has some great ideas to incorporate into her story, I'm sure early chapter books aren't what she has been reading as of late. So, together we sat at the library and picked out some top notch kids' books to refresh her memory - books by greats such as Beverly Cleary and Andrew Clements made the stack.

In our exploration I stumbled across The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Ralph S. Mouse, two books I vividly recall my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Jennings, reading aloud to my class. I can still hear her voice making the motorcycle sounds as Ralph figured out how to make the motorcycle run in The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I couldn't let my mentee have all the fun - I made sure she got what she needed and then checked out the mouse books by Beverly Cleary books to read to Mr. Music.

He LOVES them. We're about 7 chapters in (started it on Monday) and he begs me to read past his bedtime every night so he can see what happens next. I have a hard time saying "We'll read more tomorrow" because I'm right there with him, enjoying the adventure of the little mouse. And, there's Mrs. Jennings' voice in my head as I read it - I think I'm even starting to use her intonations as I read. Funny how we don't realize what an impression a person has on us until many years later . . . after doing a quick calculation, I realize I first met Mr. Ralph S. Mouse via Mrs. Jennings 21 years ago.

I'm also realizing that Mrs. Jennings' selection of books to share with my class was very influential for what I read to my own class of fourth graders (who are now seniors - yikes!). Her choice of literature was outstanding and not always mainstream. I don't recall too much more of that year, but I did walk away with a great appreciation for books and a strong skill set for reading books aloud so they come alive.

So, kind readers, I leave you with these two questions: Which of your teachers had the greatest passion for books? What book is most memorable from your early years?

What am I doing?!

Most days I tend to cruise along. You know, I start the day with the traditional "Good morning!" greeting with my children, we do breakfast, get ready for the day and then make our way through our mostly "regular" day before my husband and I tuck them into bed at night. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sure, we sometimes get off course with the pesky cold (sometimes WAY off course when the cold lasts longer than a week) or enjoy a thrill or two when visitors are in town or we cram extra fun into a weekend. But usually we just stick to the schedule. Kids do well with schedules. Moms do well with schedules. Dads like it when they can follow the schedule. Remember to take this all with a grain of salt and know that I'm really just generalizing here!

But then a day like today comes along and *SLAM*. I'm on the ground clutching my head and looking up at Mt. Rainier wondering how I plowed head-first into it (something so big surely couldn't sneak up on a person). No, I didn't really ram into a mountain, rather I confronted about a dozen very real realities that are a part of my proverbial mountain - publishing my book. Dozens of hand-scrawled notes are strewn about my computer space (which I just cleaned last week - really!), I have at least 7 tabs open in my Explorer window going at any given time, and I'm following-up on emails and tasks for six different aspects of the business (distribution, website, reviews, author visits, marketing and . . . give me a minute, oh, yes, this blog!). Yet, while I toil away (breaking for an hour or two at a time to tend to my motherly duties) I don't feel as if I'm getting anywhere. It is like I'm running on the treadmill without the thrill of endorphins or a satisfying sweat. I'm left wondering, "What am I doing?!!"

Thanks to that husband of mine I'm stepping back and looking at each thing one at a time. He even took the paper and pen out of my hand and wrote the list for me (and checked-off some items I'd already managed to accomplish to show me that I AM making progress) so that it would seem more do-able. And so now, before I turn-in for the night (and before I do turn in-to a pumpkin), I can say with a sigh of relief that yes, I think we have some shipping issues on the way to being under control, we are a step closer to having a distributor, I think the formatting is better for the commerce section of the website, it is okay to wait until tomorrow to put together the review packets, author visit stuff can wait until we get the other stuff under control, marketing is another task for another day, and this blog entry is nearly finished.

There. I think I can breathe now. I'm stepping back from that mountain - one careful step at a time. If I can distance myself from it a bit more I'll be able to enjoy its majesty and beauty and then do some training before I attempt to summit it again.

Out of the Mouth of a Three Year-old

It is sometimes easy to dismiss the constant stream of words that gushes out of my son's mouth. From the time he is fully awake to the moment he finally gives up and falls asleep, his internal monologue is external. Truly. And I love him for that, but I don't always pay what he shares full attention (if I did, I wouldn't have a chance for thoughts of my own - really, this kid is on fire!).

Today his imaginary scene caught me completely off guard and even induced a few salty tears. It went something like this:

*shuffle, shuffle* "I'll get these ready so our visitors will know about Mama's book," he muttered to himself while swiping some of my business cards from my computer armoire. (to which I sighed, but didn't take action to retrieve)

*ding, ding, ding* (he fingered a few notes on the piano)

"Who eeees it?" he called out in a sing-song voice mimicing the characters from Jack's Big Music Show.

"Oh, a visitor! We have a visitor!" he announced, pointing to me as I sat on the floor in the adjoining room entertaining his little sister.

"Yes, I've come to see you," I played along.

"Oh, good! Thanks for coming. Do you know about my mom's book?" he inquired in a crisp, businessman-like voice.

"Your mom has a book?" I asked, playing dumb (I wasn't sure who I was supposed to be - usually he let's me know my character!).

He handed me one of my business cards and instructed me, "Here, you can read all about it on this card. It is about her book. It'll be ready soon."

"Thank you. Can you tell me about the book?" I fished.

"Oh, sure. It's about being a mama and all that kind of stuff," he said confidently while gesturing wildly with his hands, almost magically as if he would conjure the book to appear right then.

Since he was so focused and clearly dedicated about getting the word out about my book, I thought I'd use this opportunity to let him know just what the book WAS about, while continuing to be in character (still no further details about what character, though, so I just fell into step as my own idea of Visitor #1). "Oh, it says here that the book is about girls who love to run and girls who are strong. Wow!"

"Righ!" he confirmed. And then he floored me . . . "Just like you."

That's when the tears welled up in my eyes. And in true, Ethan-fashion, he darted back to the piano to make the "doorbell" ring again. Visitor #2 (a stuffed hippo) had arrived and clearly needed educating about his mama's book. Visitor #3 (Abu, the monkey) was close behind to get a business card and help spread the word about this great book that would be ready soon.