Writing News
This week I went through my whole manuscript and made most of the changes that the hunky hubby requested. I had previously corrected chapter one, this time it was chapters 2-20. Then I made the corrections that my cousin who does martial arts suggested to chapters 2-20, so that Nirari’s movements during her fights were realistic. I composed 10 book club questions, just in case. And I went through my file of relevant blog entries that I’ve been saving for years and found everything to do with interviewing a perspective agent. I typed up the questions that were important to me and then I fiddled with them until they were in the order that I wanted to ask them. Believe me I definitely want to ask “To what houses have you sold manuscripts similar to mine?” before I ask “In the case of your tragic and untimely demise, who will take care of my book?” This was a huge step toward making me feel confident and ready to face the business side of writing. Now that I have this handy dandy document titled: Agent Interview Questions, if by some miraculous feat of fate an actual real-live agent calls me here at our little apartment with our three rampaging male children, our quivering mountain of laundry (currently hidden in the bedroom but no less teetering for its lack of visibility) and our great slobbery dog, I won’t shame myself by being overcome with all of the distractions and eloquently spouting “Duuuuh, what manuscript?” Now no matter the current crisis, I have “Agent Interview Questions” to keep me sounding pseudo intelligent even if one of the boys happens to be washing his jammies in the kitchen sink along with three pots and the whole family’s personal toothbrushes. Don’t laugh it happened recently. Anywho, I am thrilled with the completion of this document to say the least. Anything that makes you feel confident and prepared is worthy of being bronzed and hung over the mantle. Of course we don’t have a mantle and if I were to bronze “Agent Interview Questions” I would have to use untapped super hero powers to read it. So perhaps bronzing should not be the first choice of preservation in this particular case.
Breaking News
Two memorable events this week, our first snow fall of the year and the arrival of THE COUSINS EXTRODANAIR! Wednesday night a few precious flakes were falling, which sweet boy #1 eagerly exhibited on his way in from Awana and Thursday morning our little mountain world was properly blanketed in several inches of white! It took me all morning, but I finally got all three boys into their clothes, coats, snow pants, mittens, hats, and snow boots. Then we ventured outside to make an enormous snowman shortly before it began raining and destroyed our marvelous creation. Then we slogged into Grammy’s house hung our wet clothes by her blazing fire and watched a documentary on ancient weapons of war on the history channel. A marvelous day. But even more exciting, my brother and sister-in-law’s kids have arrived with their parents and are staying for three weeks! Cousin #1 is 9 months older than sweet boy #1 and she is the fiercest feistiest funniest little girl on the planet. Cousin #2 is 8 months older than sweet boy #2 and loves trucks and trains and crawling creatures with a passion that matches our own. Cousin #3 is 16 months older than sweet boy #3 but only 6 months younger than sweet boy #2 and he is a variable nuclear plant of energy, fabulous ideas, and ill-considered attempts to rule the world. This month is going to go down in the history books as one of the most marvelous, memorable, and maniacal months in our family’s existence. All involved are trembling with anticipation.
Harrowing/Heartwarming
Parent Moment of the Week
We didn’t just have a harrowing parent moment this week. We had a harrowing day. Thursday to be specific. The boys and I were visiting Grammy’s house after the momentous snowfall and they have guests staying with them. These guests own a dog. Now Great Grandpa, Grammy, and the guests had gone to town for some important shopping leaving this dog behind in the house. Sweet boy #3 made a beeline for the stairs and I zoomed after, intent on saving him from a death defying tumble down Grammy’s stairs. But before I could reach him I encountered a dog pile on the carpet, and it was flattened. I passed the offending excrement and scooped up sweet boy #3 only to have my worst fears realized. Clutched tightly within his right fist was a brown glob of dog poop and an additional smearing of offal coated his little outfit. Very Unclean! So I cleaned up my little boy in the sink and I cleaned up the stairs, and the carpet and the linoleum. Then sweet boy #2 said he needed to pee. It seemed innocent enough and so I sent him to the potty. Then I peeked in on him and he was bending way way over the toilet bowl. Was he sick, vomiting? No not yet. He was drinking! He assured me that he took a drink out of the potty but quickly spit it out. He had not flushed. They say that urine is sterile but I don’t know… Anywho, I gave him a lecture about disease and germs and questioned his reasoning. He replied in a calm practical manner. “But Shamu does it.” Apparently our Newfoundland snuck into Grammy’s a few minutes earlier and took a big drink himself. Aaaarg. Forget about peer pressure it’s pet pressure that squashes their morals like the sad sugary remains of the delicate decorative flowers on baby’s first birthday cake. Now sweet boy #2 had been complaining about a hurting tummy all day, even before the toilet fiasco, though it didn’t slow him down. He woke up with a nightmare that night and I gently placed him in our bed on my pillow. Which he promptly puked into. I changed the sheets, the pillow case, the child, the bathtub… My little sweetie needed to snuggle Momma, so I got him settled on my pillow a second time but with a puke bowl nearby. He vomited again. I snatched the bowl and held it in front of the torrent but it made him panic. Vomit was on the sheets, my bible study book, my bible, my shoes, our carpet, and of course my pillow. Luckily the hunky hubby arrived right then and he snuggled sweet boy #2 while I cleaned up all of the afore mentioned items…once again.
