Lost It

First of all, I have to say thank you to everyone who has been reading lately and leaving comments on this blog, sending emails, and posting...

A Painful, but Changing, Reality

I follow Helen Ginger's blog Straight from Hel, and today she invited a guest poster, author Matilda Butler, to her site to share some i...

The Tired Baby Analogy

So, since my moment in the sun yesterday on Kristin Nelson's blog, (it's about the most exciting thing to happen around here in a lo...

I Feel Famous (Sort of)

I'm excited. I asked agent Kristin Nelson (who blogs at Pub Rants) a question about showing vs. telling in first pages, and she gave me ...

WIP Wednesday: What's Cookin'

I can feel myself getting sick. You know, the scratchy throat, the heavy eyelids, the general ennui (I've always wanted to use that word...

A Story A Week: So Different

This post marks my first A Story A Week short story. I couldn't wait to get started, so I began it today. And now I'm posting it, be...

GET BETTER: A Story A Week

Today I checked out a book from my local library called Let's Get Creative: Writing Fiction that Sells by William F. Nolan . In his boo...

I Recommend: Fanny

The books I highlight in my I Recommend posts are usually picture books. Why? Because my kids are at the age where they're reading a lo...

Obsession: A Poem

Go make the bed!* An inner voice tells me Go make the bed! I know I should Go make the bed! Just one more blog post Go make the bed! Let me ...

Beautiful

I found this strangely comforting. Anyone with me? Thanks to the Murderati blog where I first saw this video posted.

Good News, Bad News

I completely forgot that Wednesday was Wednesday. Must've been because we had a holiday on Monday. All my days got mixed up. I totally f...

Olivia's Poem

I will be so wise, You will be so surprised! I would win every prize, I wouldn't lose a single one! But remember never cheat To be more ...

Snip!

I cut it off. Pulling it straight with tweezers and hacking it off with a pair of baby nail scissors. This from a girl who can't even po...

Great News!

Grace Lin's book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon -- reviewed here by my daughter Olivia back in October -- just won a Newbery Honor ...

FitG Update: Kira-Kira & Mexican WhiteBoy

I'm practically tap-dancing with joy, because I just read two excellent, outstanding, brilliant books in a row: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Ka...

Sophie or Sammy?

I should start a series called "I Thought that Only Happened in China." The subtitle for today's post is: "Why do people ...

WIP Wednesday: Waiting

I'm not belly-aching about waiting. There are lots of things in life worse than waiting. Earthquakes in Haiti, for instance. Invisible c...

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Two delivery guys delivered our long-awaited bed frame today. Our GIGANTIC , gorgeous Tommy Bahama bed frame. I swear, it's so much larg...

Rockin' Out

I went to a concert last night. It's been a long time since I've been to a concert, especially one this totally rockin'. This pa...

My Countertop

My new countertop is many-colored. Beige, cream, brown, black, muted orange, gray, peach, white and mocha. When you look at it close-up, it ...

Making Peace with Soccer-Momhood

I've officially become a soccer mom. Here I am, haulin' around in the minivan, wearin' a hoodie, droppin' kids off, pickin...

The Green Bathtub

Happy New Year! In honor of it being 2010, I gave my blog a face lift /name change. So no, you're not in the wrong place. If you came lo...