An author I will become

Writing comes easy to me. I've wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old. I knew that's what I wanted to do and I never wavered in my desire to become a writer. I've been a journalist for small town newspapers, college newspapers. I've written for work and written for pleasure. The one thing I've always wanted to do, for as long as I can remember is write a book. If I could just have my name on the outside of a book I would be the happiest person alive. I want to thank the people who have supported me all these years inside the book. My mom and I attended The Author's Luncheon at Rancho Solano in Fairfield on Sunday for the second year in a row. It's an event put on by the Solano County Library Foundation to raise money and awareness for literacy. It's a huge fundraiser with a live and silent auction, great food and above all, some of the world's greatest authors. Yes, I participate in the silent auction because I like to win things that I can give as a gift. But where I get truly captivated at this event is listening to the authors. I love to hear their stories - how they became writers, what they like to read, what inspires them, how they develop characters. They are funny, they are serious, they are down to earth. I pictured myself up on that stage, speaking about my book, speaking about what inspired me, speaking about how I wanted to be an author and that if that's what you want, you can do it, too. I know that I belong on that stage someday. I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of authors during the book signing session afterwards and I continue to be blown away at how helpful they are to aspiring writers like myself. Anyone can say that they want to write a book. To a published writer, that's just a bunch of crazy talk. But when you preface that statement by making small talk about what newspaper you used to work at and joke about how you escaped from journalism and crossed over to the dark side of communications/PR, you grab attention. Ears perked up. These authors were more than willing to talk to me and offer advice on what I could do to get my book published. I am a realist. I know that a lot of rejection comes with getting a book published. I am OK with that. That's why I am not putting everything into becoming an author. I haven't quit my job to become a full-time aspiring writer. It's a process, and it could be a long one. If it takes me 20 years to get this book published, so be it. I do believe that it will happen though. I might have some time coming up to dedicate to sending this book out and trying to find an agent and a publisher for it. That will be my goal. I can handle the rejection that could possibly come my way. I'm prepared for it. But I have to give it a shot. To make my career as a writer come full circle.

Soccer, futbol...it's all Greek to me!

Diana and Amy were introduced to soccer over the summer. I was a little worried about this for Diana because by this time, most kids her age have been playing for several years and any activity we put her that involves sports will involve a game-like setting. I was worried that she would be overwhelmed, not know the rules and get frustrated. We decided to put her in Just 4 Kicks, which she did when she first start playing soccer when she was 3. (That experience didn't go well and she didn't play soccer again until this past summer). To my surprise, Diana enjoyed her summer soccer experience. She was forced to get in shape really fast and learned that soccer isn't like t-ball(which she was also playing this summer) - you are constantly moving in soccer.

We had a decision to make come fall - soccer or theatre. Rehearsal for theatre was on the same days and times as soccer. We knew we wanted her to get exercise and keep playing sports, but wanted her to be able to decide too. Since she wasn't too familiar with the play her theatre company was doing, it was an easy choice for her to make. So, we signed her up for soccer again. This time around it's an eight-week session with games on Tuesdays and clinics on Saturdays. We liked the fact that they do a clinic on Saturday because it not only gives her another day of exercise, but it gives her more skill work as well. She's improved tremendously over the past three weeks since the fall league started. When she's not tired, she's a lot more aggressive than we thought she would be. She knows how to create space with her elbows and does a good job of trying to steal the ball from opponents. Her favorite is playing goal right now - her hand shoots up when the coach asks who wants to play in the goal. I didn't say she was great at it...though when she's paying attention, she does fine. There are some kids out there right now that should be playing in the MLS, it's amazing. These kids are 8 and they do drop kicks and make it into the goal. They kick the ball harder than I ever could. It's almost unfair. We decided it was time to put Amy in soccer when we saw her kicking the ball easily and gracefully in the open field while running. She didn't fall, she didn't trip and she kicked it quite a distance without stopping. It was impressive. She quickly fell in love with her soccer ball and she always had it with her when we went to Diana's t-ball games. Her class is an introductory soccer class so she only plays a little "real soccer" as she calls it toward the end of the 30-minute session. She's got a smile on her face the whole time though. During Diana's Saturday clinic, she keeps playing on one of the fields that's not being used.

As for Matt and me, we have no idea what's going on out there. I just sit silently in my folding chair, clap every now and then and give Diana a thumbs up when she looks over at me. Every now and then I will tell her to "go get the ball" just so the other parents realize that I am, in fact, paying attention. We have no clue about soccer, can't figure out how these professional-looking eight-year-olds snuck into Diana's class and hope that someone can give Diana some tips because she's not going to get them from us. And she doesn't want to get them from us really. It's not going to help her. As long as the girls are getting exercise, smiling and enjoying themselves, they can play whatever sport they want. And I will continue to take pictures.

The tape shape game

A rainy day was upon us on Saturday and a new babysitter was on her way over. I remember seeing a genius idea on Pinterest that involved painters tape and decided today was the day to try it out. I grabbed the roll of blue tape and started making shapes all over the living room and playroom carpet. With Matt out of town at a basketball tournament since early in the morning, I knew I wouldn't get the normal Pinterest eye roll that I typically get when I experiment with a Pinterest idea. Amy quickly yelled "let's play Momma!" when I finished taping the eight shapes to the carpet. She even reminded me that I forgot to put a diamond down so I had to find another spot on the carpet to put a diamond. (What a smartie pants!) We played the game a couple of times with me shouting out a shape and Amy running around the house standing on the shape. She even got her hexagon and pentagon right! When the babysitter got there, it wasn't like we don't have other games to play, but this was a good icebreaker. Diana and I were off on our Coastal Cleanup effort and Amy sat with the new babysitter with a big smile on her face. Mission accomplished.

When Diana and I returned from the pouring down rain outside, Amy and her new friend had played nearly every game in the house, completed puzzles and even played the tape shape game a couple of more times. Score one for Mommy! It's Sunday now and as I head to bed, the only shape that's not still on the ground is the hexagon. Amy tried to tear up the rectangle a couple of times but she put it back together once I glared at her. Every once in a while today she yelled "Mommy, let's play the shape game!" I gladly obliged. When I put her to bed tonight and asked her what the best part of her day was she said "Staying at home and playing with you!" Melted heart. See? All you need is a little tape to make a 4-year-old's day!

Happiness is...being a Girl Scout leader

One of the best things about being a Girl Scout leader is not only that I get to do all kinds of fun stuff with my daughter, but I get to be super creative and come up with fun, new and interesting experiences for a bunch of girls who may have never experienced something like this had it not been for Girl Scouts. The time they spend in a meeting or out in the community or going on an outing with their "sisters" is time they might have been sitting on the couch or just playing in their backyard (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not the same as doing some of the things that our Girl Scout troop has done lately). Last Friday, I hosted my first Girl Scout event at the house open to other troops - a Brownie Book Swap. The event was open to only Brownies and they each brought old books that they wanted to exchange with other Brownies. I had more than 35 Brownies and some of their moms in my house. We made popcorn for them and they exchanged books. It was a blast! We are definitely going to host it again in the future...but not at my house. I was so proud of myself for offering something like this to the Service Unit.

A couple of weekends ago, we released our adopted pelican back into the San Francisco Bay with some of his friends. It was an amazing experience and I am so glad that we got to give the girls the chance to do this. Last weekend, a group of my girls went orienteering in Sacramento. This is something that only I had done before but I knew that Girl Scouts must experience. We all had a great time. And by all, I mean girls and moms included. I love watching the girls interact with one another and work together to solve a problem. For our orienteering outing, we didn't have to use a compass because we were on the beginners course. That was fine with me because I struggled to figure out the compass during the orientation. The girls just learned how to read the map - which at times proved to be a challenge of its own.

Surprisingly, my youngest Girl Scout led our group through the first four controls. Then she got hungry and snacked out of her sack pack the rest of the morning. My girls got tired as the adventure wore on...especially when they realized that our other group probably finished before us (even though they started two minutes after us). But it was great. It's definitely something we will do again and that I recommend everyone try once. This weekend, we are participating in our second Coastal Cleanup event in Vacaville. We did this as a troop last year and it was so fun. I was amazed at how much fun the girls had. They worked so hard picking up cigarette butts in the park and along the creek in Vacaville's biggest park. They were all looking forward to doing it again this year and I am glad to lead them. Diana has been involved with a lot of different activities and sports over the past three years but the one constant that she says is her favorite is Girl Scouts. I like to think that me being the leader plays a big part in that, but I know that it's the surprise around the corner also. These girls never know what I have up my sleeve for them to participate in!

Pinterest Saturday

I became a fan of Pinterest less than a year ago. My neighbor insisted that I become a member of the site and after much denial, I finally got on board and have been hooked ever since. Now, every time I make a dessert, something fun for dinner or offer my kids something creative to do during quiet time at home, they ask "Pinterest?" I proudly say "yes. All good ideas come from Pinterest ladies." I have no shame. I had the girls to myself for a few hours on Saturday so I decided to turn it the short time before naps into Pinterest Saturday. We made Flubber - one batch was good, the other one was not so good (my bad for not cleaning the bowl out completely between batches). The girls loved it - the made "cookies" mostly, but it was a great time killer while I made lunch, cleaned up after lunch and then later made dinner. Yes, they actually came back to it later! After naps, I let the girls play outside. They have been very excited about painting lately (especially Amy) so I decided to try out a new painting "recipe" I found. It involved shaving cream and tempura paint. Yes, it was messy, but it made for some great artwork, a lot of creativity and many "wow" moments, which I live for! I now have to make a trip to buy some frames to hang up the girls' art work.

Seeing stars at the eye doctor

My girls have poor genes when it comes to vision. I wear glasses (though I didn't wear them until I was in college practically) and Matt has about the worst eye sight I've ever seen in a human. On my most recent trip to the eye doctor, I asked them when it was appropriate to bring the girls in for a checkup. They said about 4 years old. I was under the impression that you didn't have to take a kid to the eye doctor until they complained that they couldn't read what the teacher was reading on the blackboard - er, whiteboard - anymore. Wrong. So, before I left the doctor's office that day I made them an appointment. I didn't feel the need to tell the girls prior to the appointment that they were going to be visiting the doctor. I told them the night before and they were very excited about it. Diana pumped her fist. I later got a picture from my mom of she and Amy practicing reading big letters and small letters. I left work early to take them to the appointment and when we arrived and were called back, the girls practically ran back to the exam room. I knew they would like this place because the exam is very interactive and fun. It involves letters and it's a bit of a test which my kids love. Diana went first, sat up in that chair and fired off letters that were smaller than ants. Truly smaller than ants. The doctor was blown away. He showed me how small the letters were that she was reading and I couldn't even read them with my glasses on. Diana "aced" the rest of the exam and had a great time. She's a little far-sighted which the doctor said is normal because most kids start out far-sighted and as they get older become more near-sighted. Amy was a champ as well. She hopped up in the chair and ran through every test that Diana did. The doctor was impressed that a 3-year-old could focus long enough to do all the tests. Amy was funny - she got a little attitude when the doctor asked her what the pictures, numbers and letters were on the wall. She had a "duh" sound in her response a couple of times and doctor and I couldn't help but laugh. I guess Amy needs a little more of a challenge. I left the office beaming at my two little people. Once again, they amaze me and make me very proud. Sometimes they don't act like little angels at home and the tantrums are exhausting, but when we go out in public, especially to a place where I go solo sometimes, they behave and do as they are told. We went to Burger King to celebrate.

Full circle in a rectangle

I am lucky to have two little girls who love books, love to hear stories and love to make up stories. Three and a half years ago, I taught Diana how to read. She was almost four, about to become a big sister and a year away from being in kindergarten. It was time. It wasn't hard. She is a great learner and very enthusiastic. We did have our rough nights, but for the most part, she got it, wanted to learn how to read and picked it up in no time. It helped that I have parents who are familiar with the great resources available to teachers and could guide me in the right direction. My mom picked up Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop to teach me how to read decades ago so she insisted that I start there. Along with Frontline Phonics and Hop on Pop, Diana and I were off. Now, three and a half years later, it's all coming full circle. I sit with my girls in Amy's bedroom nearly every night and we read. Amy proudly assigns us our books and we read. Amy even makes up a story based on the pictures in her selection. It's nearly always 100 percent accurate. Lately, Amy has been picking out Hop on Pop to read. I get a little grin on my face every time she picks it out. Time flies. The first time the three of us sat down to read, Amy amazed me at how well she knew the book. It wasn't until we were halfway through that I asked her if she had been reading it with Grandma V. "Yes," she said very matter-of-factly. Oh, that explains a lot. But still, it's very awesome how much she loves to read, how well she remembers the story and the words. She's also very easy to teach and I am sure that she will be ready for kindergarten in no time. After we read Hop on Pop, I head next door to read with Diana - Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is the book of choice these days. The book was published in 1981...I was six. I remember the book fondly and chuckle at everything that happens to Ramona in third grade. The egg in her hair, throwing up in class, her constant love-hate battles with Beezus. It's remarkable how books transcend time. I wasn't sure if Diana would like the Ramona series when her grandpa got the series for her a couple of birthdays ago, but we have worked through them pretty rapidly. I am the one who insists on taking a break once in a while, much to the dismay of Diana. As stressful as bedtime routines can be for a tired working mom, the quiet time we have in the final 30 minutes of our day is the most relaxing, enjoyable 30 minutes of my day. I love their creativity, their love for one another to sit and read to each other and their passion for books. I hope it never ends.