Summer Update... with a lot of DOT DOT DOTS

It’s been awhile so I thought I’d give a little update on…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING LATELY: 

-Going to the library LOTS! Reading LOTS of picture books with my kids, and sneaking in the occasional MG book for when I have the smallest sliver of “free time” in my day, which has been especially meager latterly because I’ve been ….

-Going to bed super early lately! This is something I’ve been trying to do better for a long time and I know it’s what I NEED to do in order to be a good Mom for my kids, have energy, patience, and the ability to get through another day, etc. It’s also because my husband and I are doing a little friendly compact. We have both agreed to do certain things to be healthier. His end of the bargain is to exercise more, while mine is to go to sleep on time. It’s left me with, like 30 minutes of spare time at night, but somehow, I’ve still managed to keep…

-Writing whenever I can! I’ve been focusing on rhyming and poetry lately. In the last couple weeks, I wrote a humorous rhyming poem about converting to vegetarianism (which is partially/kinda/sorta a true story of my life right now), a rhyming picture book about venturing into the woods after dark, and a non-rhyming serious poem exploring how words/thoughts/actions define who we are.  It’s been so satisfying to get new projects done! Now if only I could figure out what to do with them all. Speaking of which, I have been…

-Querying here and there! Getting lots of rejections back, applying for different writing opportunities I find on twitter, submitting a poem or two to a magazine, waiting for a positive response, you know how it is. I’ve also been…

-Attending writing groups! I’m now a part of three different groups, (actually four or five if you count one-on-one exchanges with random writing friends). Anyway, it’s so nice to have feedback and support with my projects... 

And that’s pretty much it folks. Just trying to do what I can when I can. Here’s one more thing I can share with you  before I go though: Our favorite books we’ve read this summer! So here we go, the books we’ve loved…

Picture Books:

THIS IS NOT MY HAT by Jon Klassen

THE LITTLE HOUSE by Virginia Lee Burton

SEVEN BLIND MICE by Ed Young                                                                     

BLIZZARD and BLACKOUT by Jon Rocco

BUGS GALORE by Peter Stein

GOSSIE by Oliver Dunrea

LUCKY DUCKLINGS by Eva Moore

There’s a lot more we’ve liked, I just can’t think of them off the top of my head, so moving on…

MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS:

THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander

THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill

ONE CAME HOME (LOVED THIS!) by Amy Timberlake

Have you noticed a lot of these are Newberry/Caldecott winners? That’s because at the Wyoming Writing Conference I attended in June, when I attended Eugene Gagliano’s “Writing for Children” workshop, he handed us a list of all the award winning books from the last few years and challenged us to read as many as we could. So that’s been my goal for the summer. Along the way, I’ve picked up any other award winners I’ve come across. We’ve enjoyed so many of them! I also feel like I’ve learned a lot about what makes picture books successful in general. 

Anyway, I better call it quits since I’m far too late going to bed tonight (my husband’s been sick and since he can’t exercise I guess that means I don’t have to go to bed on time??…It's not very good logic and know what you’re thinking – she doesn’t stick to this going-to-bed-on-time rule very well, does she. But I just want to say that I’ve been SO good for the last month, with tonight being the only exception! :D 

That’s it for now. More soon!

Poem on Motherhood

With Mother's Day this month, I've been thinking a lot about the amazing journey of motherhood -the ups and downs and all it entails. I felt inspired to write a little poem about it and wanted to share it here on my blog, along with some "Mom moment" pictures from the last few years. Hope you enjoy!

Motherhood

By Debbie Day

Motherhood is sweaty.

It’s flustered, frenzied, and exasperated.

It’s socks on the table and crumbs in the carpet.

It’s headaches, backaches, and stomachaches.

It’s cleaning up and washing off.
It’s a never-ending mess cycle.

It’s worn-out.

It’s waking up.

It’s dog-tired.

It’s fighting off loneliness, because motherhood is isolating.

It’s fighting off anxiety, because motherhood is worry.  

It’s fighting off an angry rampage, because motherhood pushes you to the edge.

It’s feeling like you’re failing.

Motherhood is your weaknesses magnified.   

It’s guilt. Diaper-loads of guilt, because motherhood is mistakes.

It’s too many treats and too much TV.

It’s yelling and frustration and outbursts.

It’s beating yourself up and crying over chocolate.

It’s comparing yourself and not measuring up.

It’s trying again and again and again and again.

Motherhood is prayer.

Prayers for advice, prayers for patience, prayers for forgiveness, prayers for just one itty bitty nap.   

Motherhood is love.

It’s deep, aching, painful, powerful love.

It’s watching home movies after bedtime because you can’t get enough.

It’s holding hands on the sidewalk, waiting at the bottom of the slide, and spraying on three coats of sunscreen.  

It’s teaching and hoping and wanting what’s best.

It’s indescribable joy.

It’s pride and praise and clapping.

It’s popsicles and bicycles.

It’s collecting rocks and trips to the river.

It’s digging in the dirt and catching grasshoppers.

  

It’s forest adventures, river adventures, mountain adventures, and pillow adventures.

It’s blanket tunnels and table tents.

It’s giggles and kissing owies better.

It’s goofiness, silliness, and ridiculously hilarious.

It’s obsessing over squishiness, and chubby profiles.

It’s cuddling and books and telling stories.

It’s singing and dancing and laughing.

It’s grabbing your chest and uttering, “Awwwwww!”

It’s your heart bursting.

It’s literally heaven.

Motherhood is the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

It’s stretching and growing and learning.

It’s stripping away selfishness.

It’s unparalleled motivation to change.

It’s sacrifice and tears.

It’s not easy.

But motherhood is worth it.

It’s inexpressibly fulfilling.  

It’s all you ever hoped for.

It’s God’s holiest calling.   

It’s the best thing that ever happened to you.

Motherhood is the greatest treasure on earth.

The kids tell me a story

My boys new favorite activity lately is having Mom tell them a story. I love it because it gets my creative juices flowing, and also because that was one of my favorite memories of my dad growing up, so it's pretty special to pass on the tradition . Well, today I asked them to tell ME a story and the result was pretty adorable. It looks like my boys will be story tellers too! Yes!

Children's Book Inspiration

It's so funny how inspiration comes at different times. Today, it came as I took my two boys on a walk in the stroller.


There's a feeling of utmost joy, utmost sweetness, that is so precious, so big, so ...hard to explain! But just watching their chubby little faces look at the world, pointing at things, reaching their hands out to feel the bushes as we walk by, their "oooh"s as I point out "our" baby bunny that lives in the front yard, or the squirrels jittering up the trees, or the deer we happened upon rounding a corner next to a grove of trees. Their collecting of rocks as we walk through the grass, the way they laugh and play together going down the slide. It makes my heart feel so big and full, that sometimes I think it could honestly burst. And when that happens, I know I have to write something. I have to record that sweetness, that magic that I feel.


During their nap, I wrote a little children's story, attempting to capture some of that magic from our walk today. Here's just a couple snipits:


...

Flowers, bushes, blossoms, vines,

                Oak trees, Beech trees, Birch trees, Pines.

                                Stick your hand out, feel the leaves

                                                Brissely! Prickley! Ticklely! Sneeze!

Mommy gives us each a stick.

Swish! Swipe! Poke! Flick!

                                Mommy stops, we all get out.

Run! Skip! Giggle! Shout!

Collecting speckley, freckley rocks.

Dirty faces, muddy socks.

                Grass is wet, puddles deep.

                                Splitter! Splash! Stomp! Leap!

...

Mommy tells us Quick! Come here!

Hush now, look, the woods, a deer!

Gentle, graceful, tip toes taking.

Quietly leaving, branches breaking.