tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25861361052160042462024-03-05T16:03:40.775-08:00Family in ProgressGrowing a little family in Washington state.Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-7549444935417301232012-03-02T06:46:00.006-08:002012-03-06T19:27:12.295-08:00I Didn’t Like Pinterest. Then I Joined.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IlIWcqxAD63mYJrY9JyDg5s5Sh4rUCIG6RdnoD0KMVAqNpP3C8-wGaaJiiADNdAeQ0miPAc3lqs9XbG1KsR_7WkHMoS_FAzBzdMOaPmt1cvEX9SsW9gsSjNVclyN5tkMENqIU5r6SpLa/s1600/12+02+29+pinterest.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IlIWcqxAD63mYJrY9JyDg5s5Sh4rUCIG6RdnoD0KMVAqNpP3C8-wGaaJiiADNdAeQ0miPAc3lqs9XbG1KsR_7WkHMoS_FAzBzdMOaPmt1cvEX9SsW9gsSjNVclyN5tkMENqIU5r6SpLa/s200/12+02+29+pinterest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714801899069688402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">I finally took the plunge—I signed up for <a href="http://pinterest.com/maliajacobson/">Pinterest</a>, the online pinboard where people can "pin" and share what they’re pining for. Basically, it’s a streaming visual jumble of trends, recipes, home ideas, and crafts. (From what I can gather on Pinterest, I’m forecasting a spring filled with ombre, ruffles, candy-bar inspired baked treats, slouchy bags, and savory foods baked in muffin tins.) </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It took months of emailed “invitations,” hints from friends, and nonstop Pinterest chatter on Facebook and Twitter to get me to jump in. I didn’t bite. From where I sat, everyone's latest obsession seemed like a time-sucking repository for intricate craft projects and homemade teacher gifts. I'm an avid baker, and I get crafty from time to time. All the more reason I </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">don't</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> need a reminder of all the projects I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> doing. Thanks, I'll pass.</span><br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">What eventually made me cave: our old, dingy countertop. Let me back up. I’m dreaming of a kitchen remodel (still in the dreaming stage right now) and I wanted to be able to collect ideas and inspiration. Pinterest lets me search and collect gorgeous kitchen layouts in one place, without bugging my Facebook friends about the wonders of walnut countertops and farmhouse sinks. </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Plus, my sister is getting married later this year, and Pinterest is proving useful there, too. I’m something of a professional bridesmaid—in 2010 I was in three weddings in a three-month span. Not to brag or anything, but I can rock a dyed-to-match shoe like nobody's business. Back then, pre-Pinterest, I was flooded with wedding-related emails laden with photos of bridesmaid gowns, flowers, and color swatches (not that I didn’t love and cherish every last one, brides!). Now, my sis can showcase her amazing wedding taste on her Pinterest board instead of attaching photos to emails. Pinterest fo</span><span style="font-size:100%;">r the win.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">So come join me in the Pinterest madness! Trust me, resistance is futile...<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> (But for the record, I'm fully planning to ignore whatever comes after Pinterest. Care to join me? Let's be honest, nobody has time for any more social media commitments. Especially now that our free time will be spent on "amazing!" "super cute!" and "delish!" Pinterest-inspired projects. )<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-11441779097849066992012-02-29T13:49:00.006-08:002012-02-29T15:32:47.549-08:00Leap Day Flashback<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0dLi5KzpxUhPT4WTr5KXQKAvuSso1CAvroNp92lWs4_m5X3wIBaz9EKphh2F4aTcqP3xPUpyBy0dI4-YyfKAZ6COpkby9VZrJyeMC3uAJcG6eI9V7C_6VRQVhntVDF6kUXv_ixGIze1f/s1600/050.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0dLi5KzpxUhPT4WTr5KXQKAvuSso1CAvroNp92lWs4_m5X3wIBaz9EKphh2F4aTcqP3xPUpyBy0dI4-YyfKAZ6COpkby9VZrJyeMC3uAJcG6eI9V7C_6VRQVhntVDF6kUXv_ixGIze1f/s200/050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714703233459297970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />My, how things change in four years. The last time the calendar showed February 29, I still worked in an office, we still lived on the other side of the state, and there was still just one little running around our house.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I barely recognize the munchkin in these photos from early 2008. Was Bianca ever this tiny? Now, she reads and writes and (<a href="http://family-in-progress.blogspot.com/2011/09/seriously-kid.html">still</a>) wants a cell-phone and pierced ears. Sigh.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYFIJ4nM649BF5wTBRUfzl3okVJMPvFndgVJlNu_SjraK401f0HPPxtLhBBXv5G2Of_Dg3lvhTsZNliSi6_Vd4sEZ_e5VCLI5AKs-aQeG-CPfIrQlShagCVk3QSY8NIPFKZoFEKM392RU/s1600/066.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYFIJ4nM649BF5wTBRUfzl3okVJMPvFndgVJlNu_SjraK401f0HPPxtLhBBXv5G2Of_Dg3lvhTsZNliSi6_Vd4sEZ_e5VCLI5AKs-aQeG-CPfIrQlShagCVk3QSY8NIPFKZoFEKM392RU/s200/066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714679149854679330" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Bianca in February 2008: 2 years old</span></span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfetdhb2KXOKSoeDWkEwlGcRawryH9CEIQ99sAQzjVQMvaXBkb3ACEefUbLmM4TdvyaRAmRKJpT-6QDtmtIkn1vXbkN51JGUoveDS51_jb0yozmAYkK9IkCHbmf4TS6B4KJ5mIoWgKjUu/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfetdhb2KXOKSoeDWkEwlGcRawryH9CEIQ99sAQzjVQMvaXBkb3ACEefUbLmM4TdvyaRAmRKJpT-6QDtmtIkn1vXbkN51JGUoveDS51_jb0yozmAYkK9IkCHbmf4TS6B4KJ5mIoWgKjUu/s200/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714679159397713922" border="0" /></a><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><br face="arial"><br face="arial"><br face="arial"><br face="arial"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Even crazier--when the next leap year rolls around in 2016, I'll have a nine-year-old and a six-year-old. As the kids get older, life gets busier and more complicated, so I know the next four years will fly. I can't say what they'll hold or what my life will look like or what our kids will be into the next time February 29 arrives, but I know one thing: We won't be bored.<br /></span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-6463349483015819072012-02-23T12:59:00.005-08:002012-02-23T22:17:01.793-08:00Happy Birthday to me<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFguR_X8NPB5gwvQo4tE6Gf9xWMg4laRNBSoQxbAK-tBGPIZhGrvapIZn0OiAhwGEpfoRrM9mEXT4rAcvVnGrpO7bB7_2U9uXTEX-UBEV-DXGQDoXH4KhyphenhyphensN9XYaglz4ldzVOWAtzbBFsV/s1600/12+02+23.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFguR_X8NPB5gwvQo4tE6Gf9xWMg4laRNBSoQxbAK-tBGPIZhGrvapIZn0OiAhwGEpfoRrM9mEXT4rAcvVnGrpO7bB7_2U9uXTEX-UBEV-DXGQDoXH4KhyphenhyphensN9XYaglz4ldzVOWAtzbBFsV/s200/12+02+23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712439048359587266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Last weekend, I celebrated a birthday. Thirty-three (and you’ll note just one candle—I’ve officially reached the age where the cake will no longer accommodate the correct number of candles).</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">It was a simple day. Family party, followed by a long-awaited date night and Thai food at our favorite place. My favorite part was having my kids wish me a happy birthday.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">And it was a happy birthday. I’m in a good place. I’m happy. Not a cheesy, maniacal, glued-on smile sort of happiness, but…content. I’m happy with who I am and where I am. I’m happy with my family and my career. I haven’t achieved all of my goals yet, but I’m happy with where I am on the trajectory, as my friend and writing coach <a href="http://www.christinakatz.com/">Christina Katz</a> would say.<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">So, happy birthday to me. I think it’s going to be a good year. For you too, I hope.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">*******************************************</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">The cake! The one in the photo is a lovely, traditional chocolate cake made by my mom. I also made a cake, that I unfortunately gobbled up before I had the chance to take a photo. Yes, it was that good. It was a coconut pound cake made with <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Organic-Coconut-Flour?csrc=GPF-PA-039978008152&ci_sku=039978008152&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=%7Bkeyword%7D">coconut flour</a>. Backstory: I love all things coconut, and I work coconut oil into lots of recipes. I've had less success with coconut flour. It's wonderfully fragrant--and healthy--but it's also dense and heavy. A few scoops of coconut flour will turn most batters into glue. I've found that coconut-flour recipes need to be built from the ground up to accommodate its quirks.<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I adapted my cake from <a href="http://cfscceat.blogspot.com/2011/09/coconut-pound-cake-with-strawberries.html">this recipe</a>. Instead of honey, I used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Raw-Nectar/dp/B003XB9EFK">coconut nectar</a>, which is lower-gycelmic. It's also darker than honey, with richer flavor, so my cake was a bit darker than the cake in the photo. I didn't have orange extract, and I accidentally spilled way too much coconut extract into the batter (which is very representative of my cooking style--a little of this, a bit too much of that, and oh, I forgot to buy that so we'll try this instead....).<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I found it odd to make a pound cake without butter or oil, but it was excellent. Even better after a day or two in the fridge, which dried it out a tad. (I prefer my cakes dense and on the drier side.) I increased the recipe by 50 percent and made a traditional round layer cake iced with coconut-infused whipped cream and topped with flaked coconut. (It's true, the ingredients to this masterpiece weren't cheap. Steve called it my 30-dollar cake. But it was worth every dollar.)<br /></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-53904665757179619922012-02-14T20:04:00.000-08:002012-02-14T20:29:49.455-08:00Happy Candy Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHBFTINbT5MX0_dc1b0cYQr5BovdM1e8AklA8QlOXxLrSfxLPAQh-U9UY6i46doLRMPBxM3r1kOvXbN4H7jvFFJk_IomRWoTWJr2QO97Jt8fGf_vIkd8dbGwC3z0iF5aQa64Gh_TJSADv/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHBFTINbT5MX0_dc1b0cYQr5BovdM1e8AklA8QlOXxLrSfxLPAQh-U9UY6i46doLRMPBxM3r1kOvXbN4H7jvFFJk_IomRWoTWJr2QO97Jt8fGf_vIkd8dbGwC3z0iF5aQa64Gh_TJSADv/s200/023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709212803987845250" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I learned something new today: Valentine's Day is Halloween Part II. After B's "Friendship Day" celebration at school, she hauled home a collection of sweets that rivals her stash from Oct. 31. Sure, I know chocolates and candy hearts are V-day staples, but I had no idea that candy is now mandatory for kids' classroom valentines. The little paper scratch-and-sniff Valentines we gave B's classmates were one of the few--I mean, like maybe two or three--that didn't have candy taped to the paper. I guess we're the Valentine's scrooges of the class!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopVjA9mn77JJgPpiMCv4ozifYEDKMltGCUPQy0ZApIlEpOcLWumBoKujE61CTYO2NHEhpu7G3GjZXAEW7fPqe2VYI4l_IGuIAG3v0tXXwESI88tnAjG22unbhw3Iqe627P8oeHmhjONSK/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopVjA9mn77JJgPpiMCv4ozifYEDKMltGCUPQy0ZApIlEpOcLWumBoKujE61CTYO2NHEhpu7G3GjZXAEW7fPqe2VYI4l_IGuIAG3v0tXXwESI88tnAjG22unbhw3Iqe627P8oeHmhjONSK/s200/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709211485540341762" border="0" /></a>Doing something useful with all of that candy: B's teacher sent home a neat counting/sorting game to do with heart candy. She liked it so much, she didn't want to eat any of her heart candy. And she DEFINITELY didn't want her sister eating it, either!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Miss Mia and Milo, her reluctant Valentine.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U6dp8KFOEsLRYq2JMD-emMn2xTQ3Np2oXb5HpBKuj_Tt7UgBTdOOfqOtTaXhIjHJnmLy7uCAPQGeJfAEtmrofXHTEKoa0DMGJGGhjN_uUsTyLb9t1HGViOi3E8KKSV3D6lgCK_cFfX_J/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U6dp8KFOEsLRYq2JMD-emMn2xTQ3Np2oXb5HpBKuj_Tt7UgBTdOOfqOtTaXhIjHJnmLy7uCAPQGeJfAEtmrofXHTEKoa0DMGJGGhjN_uUsTyLb9t1HGViOi3E8KKSV3D6lgCK_cFfX_J/s200/019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709211498030669906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The cutest card ever. Bianca was busy working on her dad's card this morning while I made breakfast. I walked over and just about died from cuteness overload when I saw what she'd written--all by herself! Sigh. Maybe all of this candy will stunt her growth, so I can keep her this age forever.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WBv4LuRa6LTLVX0qKslXve5-Gx0AaqHOLnuuW8xD1usULFdbX1RJtqFwqUUsK_oZN7AHdE1geoMnufCH328dMKe8WuRN7mn0rLJUw8fppdyynBvOixAneansETJgAOnhq0dgT2ja58UB/s1600/022.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WBv4LuRa6LTLVX0qKslXve5-Gx0AaqHOLnuuW8xD1usULFdbX1RJtqFwqUUsK_oZN7AHdE1geoMnufCH328dMKe8WuRN7mn0rLJUw8fppdyynBvOixAneansETJgAOnhq0dgT2ja58UB/s200/022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709211499940739186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Happy Candy, I mean, Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-32098676893333911042012-02-12T20:23:00.000-08:002012-02-12T20:33:29.546-08:00Making Time to Blog: Q&A With Abigail Green<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYb3K0gSSmSFGbBCpCKWWbv3ZywQaEwSB5HdZdy4axR3Ugn0fHRi6TL_IFdLPfq9wucigtVZXbH6miqIil93tL_tNDiVPUUJJVvDllyaNLubRb45VUAeZEteoMZju5Bpv9SuHBlJdC_iF/s1600/busy-mom-juggle.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYb3K0gSSmSFGbBCpCKWWbv3ZywQaEwSB5HdZdy4axR3Ugn0fHRi6TL_IFdLPfq9wucigtVZXbH6miqIil93tL_tNDiVPUUJJVvDllyaNLubRb45VUAeZEteoMZju5Bpv9SuHBlJdC_iF/s200/busy-mom-juggle.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708471741582479810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">As you’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> probably noticed, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> had a hard time keeping up with my blog over the last few months. Life, work, and these darn (I mean, darling) kids keep getting in the way. As much as I enjoy blogging, sometimes it’s tough to fit it in alongside my regular work and the piles of dishes and laundry that never seem to go away.<br /><br />So I thought I’d interview longtime successful blogger Abigail Green of <a href="http://www.abbyofftherecord.com/">Abby Off The Record</a> to find out how she does it. Over the past 5 years Abby has maintained a remarkably consistent blogging schedule—posting two or three times per week—while working as a freelance writer and raising two small boys. Since many of you are also busy mom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bloggers</span>, I hope you get as much out of her advice as I do.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Abby, thanks for being here. I’m eager to pick your brain for tips on balancing blogging and life. Here are my questions:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogging is usually a side gig—most home-based <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">bloggers</span> are either raising kids, holding down a job, or both, so there are always other things competing for their time. As a work-at-home <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mom</span> with two young kids, how do you make time for blogging?</span><br /><br />First of all, I love that you asked how do I MAKE time, not FIND time. This is an important distinction. For me, blogging is as important as working out and getting enough sleep. Though it has taken me a while to realize it, blogging is not a hobby for me. I consider it part of my job as a writer. Let me explain.<br /><br />To be a writer, you have to write, right? (This is not a riddle.) But when you’re a freelancer, you’re usually waiting to get assignments, and only then writing the article that’s assigned. After awhile, I realized I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">wasn</span>’t actually writing anything except for publication. Which, as you know, is never a sure thing. I also wanted to write about what *I* wanted, not just what an editor wanted. So I started to write more personal essays, but even then, I was waiting around a lot for them to get published.<br /><br />I started a blog for a few reasons. 1) I like to write, and I wanted my writing to be read, and not just if and when someone decided to publish it, 2) I wanted to record my life while it was happening (specifically, pregnancy and new motherhood), and 3) I wanted to build up my author platform in order to be more attractive to agents and publishers. Basically, no one wants to publish your book unless you already have an established audience. Blogging is a great way to do that, but you’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span> got to commit to it.<br /><br />As for WHEN I blog, I don’t have a set time. Sometimes I write at 7pm with a glass of wine next to me while my husband is giving the kids baths and putting them to bed. Sometimes I write during <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">naptime</span>, or on a weekend morning when I have the house to myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">There’s no getting around the fact that regular blogging is a big time commitment. But there have to be ways to keep blogging hours under control, right? Do you have any tips for blogging more efficiently? Do you “batch” your blog posts (writing several of them in one sitting)?</span><br /><br />I have gotten MUCH faster at writing blog posts over the years. When I started, I’d approach each one like an essay, doing draft after draft, proofreading them and finally publishing them. Now, I do much more off-the-cuff writing, though I still try to structure each post like an essay and proof them as much as possible. I can write, revise, and publish a blog post in about an hour. My experience has been, the more you write, the easier it gets.<br /><br />I also keep an idea file, either on paper or in a Word doc, so that if I’m ever at a loss for ideas, I can use that as a prompt. It may be as simple as “kid in Starbucks; If I had a nanny; family dinner fails.” If I relied on my memory or inspiration every time I sat down to write a blog post, I’d never write a thing.<br /><br />Sometimes I will write 2-3 blog posts at one time if I’m feeling particularly inspired, but I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> never gotten more than a week ahead. I like to write about what’s going on in my life as it’s happening.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I find that I have plenty of ideas of posts and not enough time to write them all. How do you manage your ideas for blog posts? How much time do you spend taking a post from idea to published blog?</span><br /><br />As I said above, I keep an idea file. Then you can pick your best ideas or whatever ones strike your fancy at the time, and save the rest for later. Sometimes I start a post and it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">doesn</span>’t work out the way I thought. I’ll either scrap it or set it aside for later. I try not to spend much more than an hour on any post, a little longer if it includes lots of links or facts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sometimes blogging is a pleasure, and other times it feels like a chore (and I already have way too many of those). How do you keep yourself motivated to post regularly? Any tips for keeping blogging fun and interesting?</span><br /><br />My readers keep me motivated. Even if it’s just knowing that my mom, my aunt, and my couple of regular <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">commenters</span> are waiting for that post every Mon., Weds., and Fri., that’s enough to keep me writing. I also cut myself some slack, though. If I’m feeling unmotivated or having a super-busy week, I’ll post a photo or my kid’s drawing for Wordless Wednesday or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">repost</span> something from my archives.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I actually almost always find blogging a pleasure. It’s my fun writing, my outlet for expressing whatever I want, however I want. Reading and responding to other blogs is a great way to stay engaged. While my blog is mostly dedicated to parenting, writing, and finding balance as a work at home mom, I give myself permission to write about celebrity gossip if I want, or post a bunch of funny quotes from my kids. The great thing about blogging is that it can be whatever YOU want it to be, and it can change over time. That’s what’s kept it fun and interesting for me for almost 6 years.<br /><br />****************************************************<br style="font-family: arial;"></span><br style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style=" font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >If you want to be inspired to blog more regularly, check out Abby's blog. Right now, she's compiling her considerable blogging experience into a series of helpful posts for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">bloggers</span>, and posting them at Abby Off The Record each Monday. I can't promise I'll blog 3 times a week, but I'll work on it. Thanks, Abby!</span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-22750647071276554522012-02-09T20:05:00.000-08:002012-02-10T09:34:51.492-08:00Law and Order<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Barely two months into parenting a five-year-old, I’ve learned an important lesson: Five-year-olds like order. Suddenly, my little girl is the sheriff in a town of hooligans. (The parts of the unruly townspeople are usually played by me, her father, and her sister. Especially her sister.)<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This sudden focus on rules and order is pretty reasonable, really. Hers is a world of mandatory activities like sitting in her booster seat, eating her vegetables, waiting her turn, coloring only on paper—rules are everywhere she turns. She’s still learning how the world works, and so far, it appears to her that rules are the things keeping our little civilization chugging along. So lately, B’s been drawing signs and other things to help us maintain order in our household. </p> Every home needs a girls' bathroom pass:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVwlD0mGKlgxocRppm3a5t2EopMV7dnG6hC01syHtLQbep9_fdrC82_57P6xRrDbtnzu-bZyfhR91vCOEErMdAXaqdBlBhn-Xc1hjG2S5ppxllKwtztE3EsZX9Z7SziF9QqubALrQjC4T/s1600/IMG_20120209_192456.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVwlD0mGKlgxocRppm3a5t2EopMV7dnG6hC01syHtLQbep9_fdrC82_57P6xRrDbtnzu-bZyfhR91vCOEErMdAXaqdBlBhn-Xc1hjG2S5ppxllKwtztE3EsZX9Z7SziF9QqubALrQjC4T/s200/IMG_20120209_192456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707355715135723298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Likewise, every big sister needs a "No Babies" sign for her bedroom door. Because babies aren't good with the reading, she took the trouble to cross out the baby with the universal symbol for "no," a red circle with a line through it. (Note the tears on the baby's face--let that be a warning to all babies who dare to trespass.) She also has a "babies allowed" sign that she uses when she's feeling loving toward Mia, which is most of the time, fortunately.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK7zIFWzMAgMnQ_lgBIPfMJtkviOJvOkJI-9MMpe3RVsg2uIGOQbzI4uf7S8E-jezHz5CmQRkVvk6JnIx4Kld5K9SpXW1C40GvTcqO6mXpoz2-YaOoQyiSJj4hrzCkOcmj1e6WqUO870v/s1600/IMG_20120209_194946.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK7zIFWzMAgMnQ_lgBIPfMJtkviOJvOkJI-9MMpe3RVsg2uIGOQbzI4uf7S8E-jezHz5CmQRkVvk6JnIx4Kld5K9SpXW1C40GvTcqO6mXpoz2-YaOoQyiSJj4hrzCkOcmj1e6WqUO870v/s200/IMG_20120209_194946.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707355102423537698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPggO46ySpxRRkOkZdgrvSoURtGoHn7G73T13tcQW9ZYfdIqLzCyrRjZmMOLl_7gHjCjbVf-oVHNkW7EdeRFhEZBqbhM2h0wCD3YmCC4AtTCJ_LL4ayAeyeokrjYkAKY9hmrN2TMUINdZc/s1600/IMG_20120209_192640.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thankfully, babies are allowed to eat in our house. The menu for her restaurant clearly states who is welcome: People, kids and babies. (But don't try to order something not on the menu, like coffee or string cheese. Substitutions are forbidden.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZJRatX_3PrOxawn4v_NkSerXjZcoAgIgLgwz6nFIztGJyQjO2XgKHt3ryB33CqyeHdYAjUyCaq_BLX3eSLLVrIYECWQvcjPqydSvorVbnd75Qg0VoIGGpEHg1p5-zP9Ty_R5kd0fELwf/s1600/IMG_20120209_192640.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZJRatX_3PrOxawn4v_NkSerXjZcoAgIgLgwz6nFIztGJyQjO2XgKHt3ryB33CqyeHdYAjUyCaq_BLX3eSLLVrIYECWQvcjPqydSvorVbnd75Qg0VoIGGpEHg1p5-zP9Ty_R5kd0fELwf/s200/IMG_20120209_192640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707354715857230642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank goodness I have her to help me keep this crazy bunch under control. Otherwise, who knows what would happen. We would have babies in bedrooms and people using the bathroom WITHOUT A PASS. In other words, chaos. Pure chaos.Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-20461119865473237312012-01-09T14:17:00.000-08:002012-01-09T14:43:23.716-08:00Holiday hits and misses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u_Gdv7R53YXJLGyZZn8s7upWfxk_zw9aOz0YkzgYyas-LcjhyphenhyphenoZxiyDxGjm_zG9xiNbiZV5vW9S-_NR2A7cOFG0JMpO7kleVCt7JfzhmpWDwHpo7Jt7MUatdmrbSC4YmYOQlFm2q-OL6/s1600/12+01+09+holidays.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u_Gdv7R53YXJLGyZZn8s7upWfxk_zw9aOz0YkzgYyas-LcjhyphenhyphenoZxiyDxGjm_zG9xiNbiZV5vW9S-_NR2A7cOFG0JMpO7kleVCt7JfzhmpWDwHpo7Jt7MUatdmrbSC4YmYOQlFm2q-OL6/s200/12+01+09+holidays.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695764506035005922" border="0" /></a>The holiday lights are packed away, the tree is long gone, and I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> caught my annual post-Christmas cold: It must be January! I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> been absent lately, because December completely knocked me on my duff. With Steve’s basketball coaching season in full swing, time to myself is pretty scarce these days (and I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> been busy with work…<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">didja</span> happen to catch me <a href="http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Parent-to-Parent-Raising-moral-kids-135443683.html">on TV</a>?). <p class="MsoNormal">Now that the holidays have passed, the tangled mess that is our family calendar is starting to smooth out a bit. I may not be posting all that much until basketball season ends, but in the meantime, here are some hits and misses of Holiday Season 2011. Hope your holiday season was merry and bright...ours was!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HIT: Princess Fishing Pole</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Bianca’s favorite holiday present was a real fishing pole (which, to be clear, is NOT to be used in concert with her other gift, the goldfish.) She is perfectly aware that she won’t be able to use the fishing pole until this summer, when it’s warm enough to fish outside. That <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">doesn</span>’t diminish her love for the thing; she’s content to admire it in its packaging and wait patiently to fish with her daddy. This girl can delay gratification better than most adults I know.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MISS: Goldfish</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6_TvDa1Raz1aBdCJj6OraAT9OL9yWu_kVDFG21C6WFjBZUHU6_rtFOPYpKnRpgTZJ7nBnlKkxS6x-_6ZXIu1M5-cfdHNokdwxB63gDyu3mIv7KmbVcOjIuU-sPmn1RxHNw4agP2m_ju_/s1600/12+01+09+fish.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6_TvDa1Raz1aBdCJj6OraAT9OL9yWu_kVDFG21C6WFjBZUHU6_rtFOPYpKnRpgTZJ7nBnlKkxS6x-_6ZXIu1M5-cfdHNokdwxB63gDyu3mIv7KmbVcOjIuU-sPmn1RxHNw4agP2m_ju_/s200/12+01+09+fish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695763274910469218" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bianca asked Santa for a pet of her own, and he obliged by bringing her the most low-maintenance pet we could think of: Two fifty-cent goldfish from the neighborhood pet shop. Except we were wrong about the low-maintenance part. These things need to be fed THREE times a day and their water turns murky without daily cleaning. I'm telling you, they're as much work as the cats, without the lovable factor. And they're...loud. Imagine someone making a constant pop-pop-pop sound with their lips, or the drip-drip-drip of a leaky faucet, combined with the occasional—I swear—chirping noise. It’s bizarre! Lucky for these two ("<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Starra</span>" and "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nia</span>," and no, I don't know which is which) the kids like them, so they're staying. For now.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJZ6Y8-R1LB6-DQOR49t6A2IY4kCum5kDKHG-HFyz6XqbcPNptMURTMtOvKyD2R2P47F3NHPFjigQs-0Tgu9F3a1d1PKuUgI_o2C-T7QJEazKrlIrrTuZ7kQ584wt4eQeTWVX7ytN1rk2/s1600/12+01+09+shopping+cart.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJZ6Y8-R1LB6-DQOR49t6A2IY4kCum5kDKHG-HFyz6XqbcPNptMURTMtOvKyD2R2P47F3NHPFjigQs-0Tgu9F3a1d1PKuUgI_o2C-T7QJEazKrlIrrTuZ7kQ584wt4eQeTWVX7ytN1rk2/s200/12+01+09+shopping+cart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695762574559715698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">HIT: Play shopping cart</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Santa brought Mia a new Melissa and Doug shopping cart, and the thing is freaking adorable. I love it. It’s all stainless steel, perfectly proportioned for a toddler, and it handles better than 99 percent of the shopping carts I end up with in grocery stores. I know this because I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ve</span> been playing “store” with my girls almost every day since Christmas. Another win was B's new solar-powered toy cash register. It teaches addition and subtraction, holds all of our play money, and accepts (fake) credit cards with a satisfying beep: What's not to love?<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MISS: Last-minute shopping</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After spending one long, brutal 9-hour day shopping for Christmas gifts, I decided that I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> had enough of last-minute holiday prep. There is absolutely no reason to try to cram all Christmas preparation into the month between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. So I’m DONE with the last-minute craziness. In 2012 I’ll be preparing for Christmas year-round. Look for my “12 Month Holiday To-Do List” in an upcoming post. I’m serious—no more last minute shopping for me! And to prove it, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ve</span> already bought next year’s holiday cards and a few stocking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">stuffers</span>, too (shopping for stockings is always the proverbial last straw for me).</p><p class="MsoNormal">Our Christmas was great, and I'm thinking next year will be even better, what with my exceptional preparation and my new knowledge about the pitfalls of goldfish. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy New Year, all!</span><br /></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-83791827381548660672011-11-22T13:19:00.000-08:002011-11-22T19:28:41.269-08:00Grateful<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;">As a health journalist, I get to dig around in the latest health news and research. Invariably, I end up finding ways I can improve my own life. This month, I saw <a href="http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3443/Gratitude-Makes-You-Healthier.html">this piece</a> about how giving thanks actually makes you healthier. Who couldn’t use a little extra well-being during this crazed, cold-and-flu ridden season?<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;">So here it is--my list of things and people I’m grateful for, right now. It’s by no means complete, because if it were, this post would be a mile long. Turns out, once I started counting my blessings, they started popping out of the woodwork.</p><p face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The List:</span><br /></p> <p face="arial" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for my healthy children.</p> <p face="arial" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for the ability to provide those children with a relatively nice life that includes healthcare, nourishing food, a safe living environment, even the occasional vacation.</p> <p face="arial" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for a husband who is a hardworking, dedicated teacher, coach, and dad.</p> <p face="arial" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for a home that keeps us warm and dry and does all the things that a house is supposed to do.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for Tacoma, my gritty, historic hometown that never takes itself too seriously.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to live 5 minutes from an amazing zoo and parks that hold some of my earliest memories, and for the chance to watch my kids make new memories in those same special places.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for the gift of meaningful, enjoyable work.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for the opportunity to help more parents find restful sleep for their kids and themselves, as I did last Thursday at the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.holisticmoms.org/">Holistic Moms Network</a> meeting in Tacoma.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to have had the same best friend for 16 years.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for my siblings and mom, who’ve been by my side during a difficult year.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful for hot coffee and warm homemade muffins on a cool morning.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to be empowered in my career, to be able to set my own schedule (most of the time) and my own priorities—so that I have the time to make forts and cookies and art projects with my kids.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to my longtime moms’ group, <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.meetup.com/tac-aap/">Tacoma Area Attachment Parents</a>, for providing friendship and support for going on 4 years.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to my writing coach and teacher <span style="font-weight: bold;">Christina Katz</span>, who showed me by example this year that taking a traditionally-published book from concept to final product is incredibly labor-intensive…and also enormously satisfying (her next book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Workout-Techniques-Writing-Career/dp/1599631792/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306212261&sr=1-1&tag=wwwwritersont-20">The Writer’s Workout</a>, will be released Dec. 6).</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’m grateful to the global mom village of moms and bloggers who generously share their wit and wisdom on the internet, especially blogging pals like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Abigail Green</span> (who will soon publish an e-book based on her popular blog, <a href="http://www.abbyofftherecord.com/">Abby Off the Record</a>—stay tuned!).</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">And last, but not least, I’m grateful that I get the chance to be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better writer, and a better person every day. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Yes, life is good. I feel healthier already. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!</span></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNUIATFepNKSuvjRGzdeFgdtmMTFoZMdAQ899F4egtMiJR5xmSwhqq2MmDoHNWdKZzjH954-dJMe9h8BU5mgzbFal0Dg7H2HTcaOHkjEYk-1YzeRc3ottZvYX3yvCowi5m_yICIl8GZSW/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNUIATFepNKSuvjRGzdeFgdtmMTFoZMdAQ899F4egtMiJR5xmSwhqq2MmDoHNWdKZzjH954-dJMe9h8BU5mgzbFal0Dg7H2HTcaOHkjEYk-1YzeRc3ottZvYX3yvCowi5m_yICIl8GZSW/s200/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677934607152761154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Grateful for my goofballs.</span></span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-29640441457670296642011-11-02T19:05:00.000-07:002011-11-02T07:31:32.839-07:00My First Article: A "Very Good Beginning"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcX9Uv0IIi8fWJKhvPTz4i3qRu2up5XR5l7KJDUEyM3SrdAdLx3fkJ27i1ZbZ2T5TvpUPM_YFZQyL8m22tOLvLaxjphIERgSUuZHXjUh5X-65oSYnPyLtRgmq4d1J046CX_RJp4SCZ0ct/s1600/11+11+02+First+article.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 352px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcX9Uv0IIi8fWJKhvPTz4i3qRu2up5XR5l7KJDUEyM3SrdAdLx3fkJ27i1ZbZ2T5TvpUPM_YFZQyL8m22tOLvLaxjphIERgSUuZHXjUh5X-65oSYnPyLtRgmq4d1J046CX_RJp4SCZ0ct/s400/11+11+02+First+article.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668663015151821298" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:0in; mso-para-margin-left:63.35pt; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-45.35pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">My sister recently brought over a bag of my old artwork that she cleaned out of my mom’s garage. In it, I found what appears to be my first article. Though it’s not dated, I peg it around fourth grade. It’s a community-minded piece about “Officer Tandy.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since the scan is a bit hard to read (the original is 20+ years old, after all) I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> typed out the text, including the spelling errors:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; font-style: italic;">“Being a police officer keeps me constantly on the go,” says Officer Tandy, a 27-year-old police officer. Officer Tandy likes her job because “It’s like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">controling</span> [sic] the road,” she says. “In fact, it is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">controling</span> [sic] the streets. Everyone’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">safty</span> [sic] is in my hands.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in; font-style: italic;">A good police office is alert, ready to go and caring. They have to care about their community. Officer Tandy is all of those things.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don't know what I love most about this. Is it that the story features a courageous, strong, caring female police office named “Tandy” who is happy with her job? Is it because Officer Tandy appears to be a bit obsessed with “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">controling</span>” things, as I was back then? Is it the meticulous (but still not great) cursive writing? Is it the revelation that my writing style and voice haven't changed much over the past two decades?<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">No, I think it’s the fact that my teacher wrote “<span style="font-style: italic;">Very good beginning!</span>” and that my parents thought enough of my “article” to save it all of these years. They <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">couldn</span>’t have known that one day I’d make a living writing magazine articles that would be read by millions. It was a very good beginning, indeed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, parents, the next time your child paints a masterpiece or pens a story, tuck it away someplace safe—it might just be a “very good beginning” worth keeping.</p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-25128648506089196802011-10-25T10:34:00.000-07:002011-10-26T15:35:16.122-07:00Notes from the Garden 2011<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> 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{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:0in; mso-para-margin-left:63.35pt; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-45.35pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;">It’s October, and I just plucked the last remaining apples, tomatoes, and sugar snap peas from our backyard garden. Despite the <a href="http://family-in-progress.blogspot.com/2011/05/gardening-with-4-year-old-dream-vs.html">challenges of gardening with a preschooler</a> and a toddler, I managed to get in a little gardening this year. In fact, it’s because of my kiddos that I ultimately decided to do it: I figured we would be spending lots most of the summer in the backyard anyway, so I might as well find something to do in between pushing the girls on the swings, refilling the kiddie pool, and reuniting bugs and worms with their long-lost families (a favorite pastime for my daughter, and, I’m sure, 4-year-olds everywhere). </p> <p face="arial" class="MsoNormal">So we planted. And I learned. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Like parenting, gardening is an ongoing experiment. I</span>f we can apply what we’ve learned consistently, season after season, we’ll flourish. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Here are the tidbits I gleaned from my garden this year:</p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Good Dirt</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">My knowledge on the biology of plants is sparse, but I do know that vegetables derive some of their nutrition from the soil in which they’re planted. And our dirt left something to be desired (it came complete with cigarette butts and glass shards courtesy of our home’s previous owners). I'm all about maximizing results and minimizing effort, and I really wanted my dirt to do most of the plant-growing work for me. So we loaded the back of the minivan with Tacoma’s free compost, <a href="http://www.tacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=306">TAGRO</a>, and worked it into our soil before we got started. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Pack ‘Em In</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">This year, I kept my gardening goals modest, and I didn’t plant all that much. But next year, I’ll be using every last bit of garden space I’ve got, because I learned that adding more plants doesn’t necessarily add more work. And you have to plan to sacrifice some of your harvest to the bugs, the birds, and the sun—and your kids (see below).</p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Garden to Table—Yeah, Right</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Some of my plants—especially broccoli and peas—were great producers. But hardly anything made it to the table because the kids would snap off the veggies and devour them on the spot. On the plus side, their veggie consumption increased by roughly a zillion percent. But I didn’t get to fill my table or my fridge with homegrown produce, like I’d planned. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Baby Plants, Mini Harvest</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Tiny veggies like miniature butter lettuce and baby carrots are cute. And they may be well-suited to small gardens and shallow soil. But for the tiny amount of food they produce, they sure are labor-intensive. Next year, I’ll be planting full-size varieties. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">It’s in the Water</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">In past years my success in the garden has been spotty, at best. I thought I was a bad gardener, but it turns out, I was just a bad waterer, drenching my plants when I remembered and then forgetting about them for a week. This year, I finally invested in a drip irrigation system, and it made a world of difference.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">As we say goodbye to this year’s harvest, I’m already planning next year’s garden (which may include—gulp—CHICKENS!). <span style="font-weight: bold;">That’s another way that growing a garden is like raising a family: there’s always something to look forward to around the bend.</span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwqSwAOtBFjIhDOeFgKuFQ0ABQT_8AOiTSTjVORBzV6rnxPDmFseiJvpMfPJqkXVQvA553JHilSx1f9fYyKHRkIYhuct_m3qwjaGeEVSX54mfpk7_DiIst2DUF0ESbuUYRUX1vtD5OxUQ/s1600/11+10+26+FIP+bianca+apples.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwqSwAOtBFjIhDOeFgKuFQ0ABQT_8AOiTSTjVORBzV6rnxPDmFseiJvpMfPJqkXVQvA553JHilSx1f9fYyKHRkIYhuct_m3qwjaGeEVSX54mfpk7_DiIst2DUF0ESbuUYRUX1vtD5OxUQ/s400/11+10+26+FIP+bianca+apples.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667485231958873634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What a difference a few weeks makes: Bianca picking apples in September.</span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-8149273235989326392011-10-18T21:00:00.000-07:002011-10-19T07:39:28.423-07:00Ten Ways to Stay Hitched for (at least!) Ten Years<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnFa0kwoqlwkO6DQATEU8NuL4MScxiMnVuval03pHrSvBCWY9Qmeu3LmAyb0EiM8K-XzxBoRdqiCEhsm4qBTxaS9Z45-g4ejNaPZjwzgIvUAa67kZ5E6HMljV21ChlqP3zIyUgjHlpLeG/s1600/11+10+19.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnFa0kwoqlwkO6DQATEU8NuL4MScxiMnVuval03pHrSvBCWY9Qmeu3LmAyb0EiM8K-XzxBoRdqiCEhsm4qBTxaS9Z45-g4ejNaPZjwzgIvUAa67kZ5E6HMljV21ChlqP3zIyUgjHlpLeG/s400/11+10+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665050775494321378" border="0" /></a>Normally, I’m not in the business of giving out marriage advice. But my tenth anniversary earlier this year (TEN years? Really?) inspired me to write this post during the summer. I quickly forgot all about it, of course. Since I’m buried under deadlines this week, I thought I’d run it now. I hope you can learn from (or relate to) my hard-won experience.<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Have a Short Memory</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">He forgot to mow the lawn. He broke the dishwasher. The kid fell down on <i>his</i> watch. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Everyone makes mistakes, and your spouse will make plenty. </span>This gives you ample opportunity to catalog all of his errors and faults, if you so choose. But remembering every little thing your spouse does wrong—and throwing it back in their face when it suits you—is a near-guarantee that you won’t be as happy as you could be. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Live with Imperfection</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">No one is at their best 24 hours a day, and you will sometimes see (and hear, and smell) some things about your beloved that you don’t love, or even like. When your imperfect spouse starts to get under your skin,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> remember, everyone, from Bradley Cooper to Brad Pitt, has a few less-than-stellar qualities.</span> Maybe more than a few—celebrities aren’t exactly marriage champions. In fact, they make less-than-perfect regular guys look pretty good, if you ask me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Make Deposits</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Marriages are sustained by lots of small deposits of goodwill over the long run. In marriage, you need to <span style="font-weight: bold;">put in a little more than you expect to take out</span> (the same is true of bank accounts and careers). Give without expecting to be repaid immediately. Marriage is a certificate of deposit, not a checking account—it’s a long-term investment.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Share Interests</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sharing an interest—even something as simple as a favorite TV show—is a great way to ensure that you’ll spend enjoyable time together. Find a television show to watch together. Learn to enjoy a sport that he likes. Take up birdwatching. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Let Each Other Grow</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Steve and I got married right out of college, and I knew that in order to succeed as a couple, we’d both have to do a lot of growing up, both together and as individuals.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Today, people feel like they need to travel the world and “find themselves” before getting married.</span> But no matter how many times you’ve circled the globe, or how complete you feel as a person when you say “I do,” you will still experience growth after marriage. Giving your spouse space to grow (and taking the space you need, as well) is one of the best gifts you can give your marriage.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Change Your Socks, Not Your Spouse</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The man I married loves the Seahawks. He was born to be a coach. He values his high school friends. <span style="font-weight: bold;">These qualities make him the person he is.</span> And I try my best to let him keep the traits that make him the man I fell in love with—even when they inconvenience me. His personality is not mine to tinker with. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Be Your Own Person</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Puh-lease—take some time “you” time on a regular basis. Don’t wait for your spouse to give you a gift-wrapped certificate for a spa day, because it may never happen. <span style="font-weight: bold;">And don’t wait until you feel burned out and full of resentment before finally taking a girl’s night out or signing up for a Zumba class. </span>You need time for yourself like you need air.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Lighten Up</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Steve is great at making me see the lighter side of things. And “forcing” me to watch shows like Tosh.O, “against my will.” <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thanks in great part to him, I laugh every day. </span>Laughing together has kept us happy through the highs and lows of life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Don’t Delegate—Collaborate</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Men don’t like being bossed around. Trust me on this one. You may feel like you “run” your household, and you probably do. <span style="font-weight: bold;">But if you want more household help from your husband, don’t simply hand him a list of chores.</span> You are not his boss. Approach any problem as a co-collaborator, and give him shared responsibility for the outcome.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Great Expectations</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A wise family member once told me <span style="font-weight: bold;">“Expectations are pre-meditated resentments.”</span> It’s breathtakingly easy to develop lofty expectations for your mate without saying a word about what it is you’re expecting of him or her. These unspoken expectations can blossom into resentments faster than dandelions go to seed. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Never Worry Alone</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sometimes, after a long day wrapped up in your own concerns, it seems easier just to turn out the lights and say goodnight instead of sharing your worries with your spouse. One of my favorite authors, Edward Hallowell (he literally wrote the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Worry-Edward-M-Hallowell-M-D/dp/0345424581">Worry</a>) wrote something I think of often: Never worry alone. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharing a life means sharing your worries, big and small. </span>And being married to your best friend means that you never have to worry alone.</span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGRFbjmxL1ddy1p6hbfsXfVDSWYsBJ5fZ2C4hPZrmKJdE1CozGJVMtiQcm9XK1RcXHpMRg3er6k0TuhVDUbt1fok8Ow6CSC1EoiLTLXIkK0ed2IimpGyhl2lC2YPtaP6hOVGV2ah3P35y/s1600/11+10+19+2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGRFbjmxL1ddy1p6hbfsXfVDSWYsBJ5fZ2C4hPZrmKJdE1CozGJVMtiQcm9XK1RcXHpMRg3er6k0TuhVDUbt1fok8Ow6CSC1EoiLTLXIkK0ed2IimpGyhl2lC2YPtaP6hOVGV2ah3P35y/s400/11+10+19+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665050333624698466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Older and (possibly) wiser: Steve and I at our 10-year vow renewal in Maui.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-69451938210567720032011-10-05T14:11:00.000-07:002011-10-05T14:27:09.364-07:00Staying Close to Girls As They Grow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wyiXIY1_fuKQvk-_ykOItGi32nitAHY5MDINDKKezlSJ2wEa33OONwFRZH3X1xII8aJfYGEnS35eVWByGH58kBUXKs5LDSXZG4fxMaCCIyhUErFUzkOTNW172QACKYksZAX_WbG-l1bB/s1600/book+by+book.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wyiXIY1_fuKQvk-_ykOItGi32nitAHY5MDINDKKezlSJ2wEa33OONwFRZH3X1xII8aJfYGEnS35eVWByGH58kBUXKs5LDSXZG4fxMaCCIyhUErFUzkOTNW172QACKYksZAX_WbG-l1bB/s400/book+by+book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660119304868867554" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>I think I was fated to be the mom of little girls. Growing up, I ordered around my three younger sisters and organized <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">girly</span> groups at school like the ill-fated “Stardust” club in third grade. (After a few months, the group dissolved over a leadership dispute: I wanted to be president, vice-president, and basically dictator-in-charge-of-everything. Strangely, the other girls in the group <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">didn</span>’t share my vision.) Ballet, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cheerleading</span>, sorority—I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> spent my life in girl-world. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the time, I feel well-equipped to be the mom of two headstrong, expressive daughters, thanks to my past. <p class="MsoNormal">My girls are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">girly</span>-girls, mommy’s girls, my little shadows. However you slice it, they identify strongly with me as their female role model, and they want to do EVERYTHING that I do. Making dinner, putting on makeup, typing emails—if they’re awake, they’re by my side. I generally feel like I’m walking my house with two little ankle weights named Bianca and Mia. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Though I sometimes miss having personal space, I love the closeness that I share with my two mini-mes. I’m enjoying it now, because know it might not last forever. In fact, the planner in me is already thinking ahead to the tween and teen years and wondering how I can keep my girls close as they grow up.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s why I was thrilled to meet fellow writer <a href="http://cindyhudson.com/">Cindy Hudson</a>. Like me, she’s the mom of two daughters. She wanted to maintain a close mom-daughter bond as her girls grew, so she did something awesome—she created a mother-daughter book club for each of her daughters. To help other moms do the same thing, she wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Complete-Guide-Creating-Mother-Daughter/dp/1580052991">Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs</a> (Seal Press/Oct 2009). And this fall, she followed up by releasing a <a href="http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/newsevents/meeting-planner-guides/">meeting planner guide</a> to help moms plan successful book club meetings with their daughters. The guide includes book suggestions, author interviews, even recipes that match the theme of each book. How cool is that?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My girls are still too young for a mom-daughter book club, but I’m looking forward to starting clubs when they’re old enough. And it’s great to have a resource like Cindy to look to for inspiration. If you're the mom of a girl, I urge you to promote reading, relationships, and a lasting mom-daughter bond by creating a book club with your daughter. The world needs more well-adjusted, well-read, connected girls with strong family bonds, and we girl-moms can use all of the support and help we can get.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. All views are my own.</span><br /></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-90022249169014062472011-09-28T14:49:00.000-07:002011-09-28T15:02:37.794-07:00Seriously, kid?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10MMoDVX86Nh3jJ5MbhnVECB8W3kQhEmGYiJWFVQQ_aDkuUQu-C_X-WBeSGDGtlKB5VHikxRt52ybHj57EhEYMjHdjMw-TgXihjpTTnxY93_7-_lyIBETWPl5fk46w0HQOZVqXM6vmP_x/s1600/440322-Royalty-Free-RF-Clip-Art-Illustration-Of-A-Cartoon-Baby-Girl-Using-A-Cell-Phone.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10MMoDVX86Nh3jJ5MbhnVECB8W3kQhEmGYiJWFVQQ_aDkuUQu-C_X-WBeSGDGtlKB5VHikxRt52ybHj57EhEYMjHdjMw-TgXihjpTTnxY93_7-_lyIBETWPl5fk46w0HQOZVqXM6vmP_x/s400/440322-Royalty-Free-RF-Clip-Art-Illustration-Of-A-Cartoon-Baby-Girl-Using-A-Cell-Phone.jpg" 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mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A few days ago my four-year-old—my <span style="font-style: italic;">FOUR</span>-year-old—requested a cell phone. Her complete confidence in her need for a cell phone, and in the fact that I would surely agree with her and rush out to get one, was both admirable and unsettling. The conversation began while I was bent over the bathtub, washing her sister’s hair. It went like this: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Her: “Mom, I need a real phone.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Me: “Like a play phone? You have one of those.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Her: “No, mom.” (Clearly exasperated by her hopelessly slow mommy.) “Play phones are dead.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Me: (Incredulous.) “You mean a real phone? Like dad and I have?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Her: “Yes, a real phone. But for me. <i style="">Bianca</i>.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">And I just sat there, blinking.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For real? Does the cell-phone begging really begin at four? Wow, we are in trouble. And it doesn’t end there. It seems that she’s gone into consumer mode all of the sudden, and she’s been compiling a list of things she absolutely cannot live without.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Here are the other things she’s started asking for:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pierced ears.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Lipstick.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">High heels.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Baby Alive.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Polly Pocket.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A guinea pig.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">A chameleon. (Most days, the first words out of her mouth when she wakes up are “Mom, I really want a <span style="font-style: italic;">chameleon</span>!” No, “Good morning, Mom!” or “Can we make pancakes?” Her brain is tuned to the lizard channel.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I suppose I get the pet begging, and I do understand the toy requests. I’m one of those mean mommies who doesn’t think should<span style=""> kids </span>have too many toys, and I hate clutter, so I understand that she might feel understocked in the toy department. But the grown-up stuff like cell phones and pierced ears throws me for a loop. Steve and I are hardly tech junkies. And she sees me wearing high heels and earrings so rarely, I can’t believe they’re even on her radar.</span></p> <span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="line-height: 115%;">I’m not trying to raise a little consumer, but it looks as though I am. And it looks like we’re in for many long years of begging, because she is NOT getting a cell phone. Until she’s at least six.</span></span>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-7588035930107404782011-09-22T15:30:00.000-07:002011-09-22T15:39:09.528-07:00Fingerpainting (and other things that seem like a good idea)<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0D8fw-A0CyYRIxNoyHOVYm4l-jpYw6WWv1mzGgN63zgq8xvoL4-CC4B1Nr9FcbFR-Y-TJUvkJuEuqMOD1-ZDW_dDY4epwW1NXj6XXd0ZmONFFZKtHkT8yrk5GYPebVPbdQ4U3XO0UzPn/s1600/11092202.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0D8fw-A0CyYRIxNoyHOVYm4l-jpYw6WWv1mzGgN63zgq8xvoL4-CC4B1Nr9FcbFR-Y-TJUvkJuEuqMOD1-ZDW_dDY4epwW1NXj6XXd0ZmONFFZKtHkT8yrk5GYPebVPbdQ4U3XO0UzPn/s400/11092202.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655316032180033858" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0D8fw-A0CyYRIxNoyHOVYm4l-jpYw6WWv1mzGgN63zgq8xvoL4-CC4B1Nr9FcbFR-Y-TJUvkJuEuqMOD1-ZDW_dDY4epwW1NXj6XXd0ZmONFFZKtHkT8yrk5GYPebVPbdQ4U3XO0UzPn/s1600/11092202.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR2C-mdOSK6CLnk9MLA0jyh10ogCpOYXfesc_y4eAM2JLFo7v_fbKSH2ewWCu7iaLf9dncHFG6JyqRz96jL9id-BipEj0NFetTfwUmQpRIFi84Plc_RJUENdqOY2HcN2j3JlX_ZpoEQ5j/s1600/09221102.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR2C-mdOSK6CLnk9MLA0jyh10ogCpOYXfesc_y4eAM2JLFo7v_fbKSH2ewWCu7iaLf9dncHFG6JyqRz96jL9id-BipEj0NFetTfwUmQpRIFi84Plc_RJUENdqOY2HcN2j3JlX_ZpoEQ5j/s400/09221102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655315837906580690" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh yes, they did.</span><br /></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At first glance, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fingerpainting</span> seems harmless enough. After all, it’s a fun, creative, old-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">timey</span> kid pastime. Buying those brightly-colored pots of paint may seem like a smart decision—your little ones will be happily occupied while you get a few things done. Brilliant! </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Of course, if you fall for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">fingerpainting</span> hype (like I did), you might find that you spend way more time cleaning the paint off everyone and everything in your household than you ever gained by having the kids occupied for a few minutes. Repeat after me: So not worth it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When it comes to entertaining kids, lots of things that seem like a good idea are really just disasters waiting to happen. I seem to keep learning these lessons over and over again. Here are a few examples, gleaned from my vast personal experience on the topic:</span></p> <ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Involving your child in a complicated, from-scratch cupcake recipe when they would have been just as happy with an eighty-nine-cent cake mix. (Kids don’t need you to be Martha Stewart. They just want food.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Stopping for a treat after a long day at the zoo, because you just have to add one more fun thing to the day’s agenda. (Hello, fun overload.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">RSVPing</span> yes for two birthday parties in the same day, to avoid disappointing anyone. (Overdosing on birthday cake and soda is never a good idea.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Infusing homemade Play-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Doh</span> with a yummy scent that smells good enough to eat. (Because kids will!).</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Taking your preschooler shopping for school clothes so they can “pick out what they like.” (Unfortunately, princess dresses and elbow-length gloves <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">aren</span>’t school attire.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Moon Sand. (This stuff may be fun, but scraping the damp, clumpy “sand” granules out of your carpet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">isn</span>’t.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Taking your cranky kids to the grocery store at 6 p.m. in search of ice cream. (There will be meltdowns. And I’m not talking about the ice cream.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Dragging your child to library <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">storytime</span> after they’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> declared that they do NOT want to go. (Any activity that begins with “Well, let’s just try it anyway,” probably won’t end well.)</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Writing about this topic has also made me think about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">flipside</span>, things that don’t seem like a good idea, but are. Parenting: the surprises never end! Food for thought, and possibly a future blog post.</span></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-53180253386148349352011-09-15T09:05:00.000-07:002011-09-15T09:11:17.723-07:00So, How Does She Do it?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyUcaeVREWo7EERTmyKGvJpZS4b8pdA-7pj8g9q7GSecZ7zn0lfYz-iuifhwyD7docYccN-iPnAFlyD5PKYNX8AZ-5NY4_97_HfOB7OfeUXlX7MAODl_F_ivEV9ASAwihP9ocADH7K1xQ/s1600/11+15+09+02.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyUcaeVREWo7EERTmyKGvJpZS4b8pdA-7pj8g9q7GSecZ7zn0lfYz-iuifhwyD7docYccN-iPnAFlyD5PKYNX8AZ-5NY4_97_HfOB7OfeUXlX7MAODl_F_ivEV9ASAwihP9ocADH7K1xQ/s400/11+15+09+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652618686627901330" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:0in; mso-para-margin-left:63.35pt; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-45.35pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">I Don’t Know How She Does It</span>, the movie-version of Allison Pearson’s bestselling novel about the working-mom juggle, hits the big screen tomorrow. As a mama who’s lived several versions of the working-mama-drama (full-time, full-on working mom of an infant; part-time working mom in charge of a department; harried work-at-home mom of two) I’m looking forward to seeing it. I hope the movie is every bit as honest about the struggles of working motherhood as the book is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When I first read the book, I was a childless working girl climbing the professional ladder. I enjoyed Pearson’s writing but I was disappointed by the book’s portrayal of the difficulties of balancing work and family. In fact, by the end, I practically threw it down in disgust. I was raised by a working mom and planned on being a working mom, and the book’s realities were just a little too real for me. And I was disappointed by the ending. I felt it gave a negative view of working motherhood with the ultimate message that women just can’t have it all. Not what I wanted to hear as an idealistic 20-something.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few years later, when I was living the working-mom thing, I picked it up again, and read it with entirely new eyes. This time, the book’s message didn’t seem overly negative at all. It was simply the truth. Finally, I got it. Nearly five years after reading the book, some of the lines and anecdotes still dance in my head. I can’t say that about very many books.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t want to give away too much about the book, so I'll just say this: if you’re a working mom or planning on being one, read it. Read it now. On second thought, maybe wait until you’ve got a year or so of working motherhood under your belt. Only then will you truly appreciate Pearson's wisdom and wit.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Know-How-She-Does/dp/0375414053"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvW6f_oLF5a-NJloViQF3PR958zdEftbifl-mivZyOVl2gprkdjxrmBbNDjQG6wvUGRHBV1MVoPPEvJuV1drtjd1vomLQVi333toNgKgasND0F4QSQBw5_qWHqEd9MjFjrqQ2sfl29qnr/s400/11+15+09+book+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652619192118594306" border="0" /></a>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-17323099366036255692011-09-08T20:55:00.000-07:002011-09-09T06:52:13.871-07:00Where were you?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:0in; mso-para-margin-left:63.35pt; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-45.35pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]-->I’ve been thinking about time and place—and how powerfully our surroundings can influence our experiences and memories. Collectively, the country is getting ready to reflect on memories of September 11, 2001, a day that will forever be etched in our shared history. But each of us will have our own experience to look back on, based on where we were (both physically and in our lives) when the tragedy struck. <p class="MsoNormal">On September 11, 2001, I was a freshly-minted college graduate and newlywed living in a tiny apartment in West Los Angeles, working as a sales manager at a hotel in Beverly Hills. That morning, I had a full schedule: a meeting in downtown LA followed by a client lunch. I drove to work at 7:45 a.m. (about two hours after the first plane struck the North Tower) under strangely quiet skies, listening to a CD. I was completely unaware that the entire world was riveted on the World Trade Center until I arrived at work and stepped into chaos. My meetings, of course, were canceled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nestled among plastic surgery clinics, a stone’s throw from Rodeo Drive and across the street from a strictly kosher Ralph’s Thriftway, our hotel sat on a cultural and economic dividing line between the superficial glitz of Beverly Hills and the quiet Jewish neighborhoods south of Pico Boulevard. An extended-stay hotel catering to corporate travelers, it was regularly filled with businesspeople from around the world. It would not be uncommon to see an orthodox Jewish rabbi, an Asian business executive, and a preppy fleece-clad VP from The North Face munching on chips and salsa at the complimentary hospitality hour.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A hotel is a strange place to experience a national crisis. Though every person at the hotel came from different countries for different reasons, they all had one thing in common: they were far from home at a time when the world was filled with fear. Air travel was suspended, and the hotel’s operations were effectively frozen. Scheduled arrivals weren’t coming in, and those who were supposed to fly out were stuck. Telephone lines and cell signals were jammed as people frantically tried to reach relatives and co-workers in New York. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the morning wore on, hundreds of hotel guests from around the world piled into the hotel’s lobby to watch the television. Hotel staff produced cookies and coffee from the kitchen. Cups and water bottles were passed around as we sat, riveted to the spot, starting at the television. Everyone had a television in their room, of course, but the lobby felt safer somehow. Being surrounded by strangers was better than being alone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That day, my happy young-adult bubble of invincibility burst wide open. There are moments in life when we’re thrust (sometimes unwillingly) toward adulthood. These moments don’t happen at happy, predictable intervals—graduations, weddings—but at times of crisis and tragedy. I remember feeling, for the first time, the hatred that some people feel toward Americans. Suddenly, I felt a tiny piece of what it’s like to be loathed for something you can’t control. I felt powerless and small.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;">Sadly, that day of supreme ugliness and hate would be followed by more of the same—racial profiling, finger pointing, and fear-mongering. But on that day, travelers from around the world huddled together in a hotel lobby in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, comforting one another in hushed tones, offering cell phones, and sharing their shock, fear, and disbelief. There was no “us versus them.” We were just people, sharing a day that none of us would ever forget. The world was ripped apart by fear, but during that long day, we were united. If there was a good place to experience a national tragedy, that was it.</p>Where were you on that day?Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-30722153739973652482011-08-30T20:25:00.000-07:002011-08-30T20:35:40.520-07:00Summer 2011: Looking Back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPewtX9iXM7Bu7t6-qyb3OATu1QNzwr4NG3RBsQqFJ467DjD2qOtA7sa81wV0YSR6HX3DtrO9-qbuBD54eH8YV3HALCh_TpKNsw2oEuH82QMJu6TobhHKdYAq7E0VAt_bzUMtd8KICwIU/s1600/08301101.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPewtX9iXM7Bu7t6-qyb3OATu1QNzwr4NG3RBsQqFJ467DjD2qOtA7sa81wV0YSR6HX3DtrO9-qbuBD54eH8YV3HALCh_TpKNsw2oEuH82QMJu6TobhHKdYAq7E0VAt_bzUMtd8KICwIU/s400/08301101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646857994949594850" border="0" /></a>
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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">School’s starting, leaves are on the ground, and I detect a chill in the air. Yup, fall’s here. And we have a GREAT summer to look back on (I’m eating the last of this summer's blackberries, picked yesterday by Steve and B, as I type). Here are our stats for Summer 2011:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Miles flown: 5304</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tubes of sunscreen used: 6</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Serious sunburns: 1 (Steve’s, obtained while boogie-boarding in Hawaii. For our next trip, we’re packing long-sleeve rash guards.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Boo-boos kissed: 38</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Boo-boos requiring stitches: 0, thank goodness</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Soggy beach towels at the bottom of the stairs most nights: 4</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pounds of berries consumed: 21 (That is no joke. My girls are bonkers for berries.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Swimsuits worn out: 2 (1 for each girl)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Parks explored: 12</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Home projects completed: 5 (including painting the front door, staining the deck, and pressure-washing everything in sight)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Businesses launched: 1 (My talented hubby's basketball skills-training business <a href="http://www.stevejacobsonhoops.com/">Steve <span style=""> </span>Jacobson Hoops</a>)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">E-books released: 1 (<a href="http://www.maliajacobson.com/ebook">Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep So You Can Sleep Too</a>, by yours truly)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Pet injuries sustained: 1 (Little Sylvie's broken leg. She's now healed and back to her pesky, adorable self!)
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Prize-winning veggies grown: 0</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tasty veggies grown: plenty</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hours spent in the backyard: Too many to count</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;">We spent as much time outdoors as possible, and I sacrificed quite a bit of work time to spend more hours with my sweeties. I know I made the right choice. Work will always be waiting, while summer (like our berry season) is gone in a flash.</p> Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-79056258541421687322011-08-24T16:41:00.000-07:002011-08-24T16:52:31.850-07:00But mo-ooom!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvhYUYXBxQvIHd5BP_nQL0-3-y96S6Pt_a4fNy4aEPX3csH2nGWh9PKUmOZ8A7Q9vSgDi0q7oPr-rfkJiczYfTjWVeRIjwhxe0e-ge75HtOKirq2r16ruVfBTqglKuGte9GB2J1_-mmNC/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvhYUYXBxQvIHd5BP_nQL0-3-y96S6Pt_a4fNy4aEPX3csH2nGWh9PKUmOZ8A7Q9vSgDi0q7oPr-rfkJiczYfTjWVeRIjwhxe0e-ge75HtOKirq2r16ruVfBTqglKuGte9GB2J1_-mmNC/s400/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644572441190525026" border="0" /></a>
<br />Mom, I got dressed all by myself. The least you could do is let me have a Popsicle. I don't care if it's 9 a.m. I'm camping out RIGHT HERE until I get one. Or until this turtleneck cuts off the blood flow to my legs.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lKBFx_HTWWnlqS3x1o1tYb3aZe-4AlqJRXrxQq_TATQSQ30uE7ehzMHgsIDeDga6mLVxb96bhXb6xTs_cy_P62XfVv07cH2ILA0DngtjuyvVeb4ksLViWpIw3Uri8tqS7wosmjw-F7D-/s1600/011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lKBFx_HTWWnlqS3x1o1tYb3aZe-4AlqJRXrxQq_TATQSQ30uE7ehzMHgsIDeDga6mLVxb96bhXb6xTs_cy_P62XfVv07cH2ILA0DngtjuyvVeb4ksLViWpIw3Uri8tqS7wosmjw-F7D-/s400/011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644574361574290242" border="0" /></a>
<br />Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-63540624333441550892011-08-17T09:09:00.000-07:002011-08-17T09:23:00.038-07:00Top Ten Reasons I Can't Wait For Fall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcRBpKwWvyZUeWRSOkUYbF7oPbX1WKwn4k2cv-tted911mNGemHTJLSNPAs7uasNFa2S6D2ynkYR2YB_t_xrDBg0qx5_1WrsWVnTZ1AVZD5Nfpd1TwwZuOdfRI_9sggHpJpOo7pzrsxJ5/s1600/free_fall_leaves_shutterstock_61538884_web.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcRBpKwWvyZUeWRSOkUYbF7oPbX1WKwn4k2cv-tted911mNGemHTJLSNPAs7uasNFa2S6D2ynkYR2YB_t_xrDBg0qx5_1WrsWVnTZ1AVZD5Nfpd1TwwZuOdfRI_9sggHpJpOo7pzrsxJ5/s400/free_fall_leaves_shutterstock_61538884_web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641857896108775298" border="0" /></a>
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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Summer, we need to talk. It's been fun and all, but I'm ready for something different. I've got another season on my mind. Namely, fall. Here are the top 10 reasons I can't wait to say "see ya!" to summer and welcome my favorite season, fall.
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Preschool!</span> When school starts September 1, Bianca can finally see the friends she’s missed all summer long. Plus, I won’t have to hear “Mommy, I’m bored! Take me to the swimming pool zoo library store mall park climbing place grandma’s house right NOW!" on repeat, all day long.
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Apple pies.</span> Our apple tree is dripping with almost-ripe apples that should be ready to pick next month. I am an impatient gardener…I want to pick those babies, now!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Football.</span> Oddly, I’m looking forward to football season this year. Mainly because my husband enjoys it so much, and I love watching him put on his lucky <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Seahawks</span> jersey and get as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning on game day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. And end to Summer Pressure. </span>Summer in Washington state is amazingly brief. It lasts a nanosecond (otherwise known as the month of August). This means that the instant the temperature tops 70, the summer pressure starts: we absolutely MUST get outside to take advantage of every last second, because it will all be over soon! I love summer (i.e. August) but I don’t love the constant pressure to squeeze every last drop out of every fleeting second.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. New school haircuts and clothes.</span> What mom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">doesn</span>’t love seeing their kiddo look spiffy? I can’t wait to dig out the new school clothes I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> bought and squirreled away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. New fall TV.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have lots of drawer-organizing and paperwork-sorting to do, and I’m saving it for fall so that I can do it while watching new episodes of Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. The return of my Uggs.</span> They may be ugly, and I don’t even know if they’re fashionable anymore, but oh, how I love them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Storytime.</span> The return of community activities like the weekly storytime at our local library means that we’ll have some ready-made playdates and an excuse to get out of the house.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Holidays. </span>I’m a fall-holiday kind of gal. Halloween? Love it. Thanksgiving? Bring it on. Sure, both holidays involve sweet treats, but I’m more excited about seeing my kids dressed up and having fun with family and friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Soups and Casseroles.</span> I’m ready for a break from the summertime routine of nonstop hot dogs, burgers, and salads. And fall means soup weather! Every fall I set aside a couple of weekend days to fill the freezer with soups and casseroles. Easy, healthy meals that don’t involve a barbeque. Hooray!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">ANOTHER REASON TO LOOK FORWARD TO FALL: A possible end to never-ending diaper chores. Mia picked yesterday to start potty training. She's only one, so this may be a fluke, and I suspect that her love of wasting toilet-paper has something to do with her potty enthusiasm. That reminds me--I need to go and buy more!
<br /></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoswTWe3-35YOKgRVIEDZufX2c5jDo-sa3jd61Yj7Pk0qPXeAO8Vuhi17UPPQcP6f-sVvzBtaNKR08bIuGWtq5w4lspmieAUBQ57itrTER6O961ypxFb_C7D0b6iWw4eZbEF_7GAPwlwX/s1600/Mia+potty.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoswTWe3-35YOKgRVIEDZufX2c5jDo-sa3jd61Yj7Pk0qPXeAO8Vuhi17UPPQcP6f-sVvzBtaNKR08bIuGWtq5w4lspmieAUBQ57itrTER6O961ypxFb_C7D0b6iWw4eZbEF_7GAPwlwX/s400/Mia+potty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641857897581410258" border="0" /></a>
<br />Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-54767369244599401912011-08-10T21:22:00.000-07:002011-08-10T21:34:48.802-07:00Our nearly-perfect scoop of summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoJwEMuhG2yk-x0Sl2RH-lIwAwAzMYyGeBsXcHj4V4vcA78G1oFRXkycqsgbBHitHm3ey64wHnaXSbuaSdUWUpEjMbKrEHSSw0r__V7WJAmY4lyJl61C_EU1BGjlvhQ0pDd7mPACJ7I9f/s1600/large_ice_cream_cone-2233.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoJwEMuhG2yk-x0Sl2RH-lIwAwAzMYyGeBsXcHj4V4vcA78G1oFRXkycqsgbBHitHm3ey64wHnaXSbuaSdUWUpEjMbKrEHSSw0r__V7WJAmY4lyJl61C_EU1BGjlvhQ0pDd7mPACJ7I9f/s400/large_ice_cream_cone-2233.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639449996237940466" border="0" /></a>
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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I can hardly believe it’s August already. Back-to-school season is in full swing. I feel like summer just started, but already most of it is in the rear-view mirror. And I really can’t say that I’m sorry. I’ll be honest; summer with small kids is every bit as exhausting as it is fun. If I’m being <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> honest, it’s more of the former, less of the latter. There have been many long, cranky days. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> had meltdowns and melted ice-cream cones. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> had (diaper) blowouts, and (temper) blowups. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">carseat</span> kicking fights and “Don’t MAKE me pull over” threats. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> had far too many rounds of “Mommy, where are we GOING today?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But not this day. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today was a day plucked out of a children’s wear catalog. (Minus the impossibly perfect, impractical children’s wear, of course.) There was frolicking at a sun-dappled park under hazy blue skies. There was a picnic. There was a drama-free trip to the library. There was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">playdate</span>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The girls bestowed dimpled grins on smitten strangers like tiny beauty queens. They were kind to each other. They ate their peas. OK, Bianca ate one. It counts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">They were so adorable, they took my breath away. Did I really grow these two gorgeous, funny little people in my own body? They told jokes, followed by giggles as sweet and bubbly as champagne. Their little voices were as smooth as two scoops of butter-pecan. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had one—<span style="font-style: italic;">one</span>—picturesque, almost-perfect summer day. I’m still savoring it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I need to bottle up today and seal it tight. I need to preserve it and tuck it away someplace safe. Because I’m absolutely, positively convinced that it not be repeated anytime soon. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Who knows why this day drifted my way. Maybe we’re finally turning the corner on the <a href="http://family-in-progress.blogspot.com/2011/06/fearsome-fours.html">“Fearsome Fours.”</a> Maybe I’ve logged enough hard days that the Almighty figured I was due for a good one. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I do think that we get days like this, once in the bluest of moons, to help us get through all of the other crappy ones. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m sending some of today’s magic your way. I hope you get your perfect summer day, too. Every mom deserves a few.
<br /></p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-24058698783939334872011-08-10T07:50:00.000-07:002011-08-10T07:57:46.511-07:00Wordless Wednesday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLPGlpwGQuVqbZzxDEzNsTQEMZqdZAhGIAOUvTTD4RtxXX0BLegE9whe1PiIaH9z1N2_InCWBmrbVHu_dhfhinuJnQU_JTS0eVcM6yVQQjMcUfXnHova3psdAE47Cu79RsdQwwbULd0gW/s1600/8101101.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLPGlpwGQuVqbZzxDEzNsTQEMZqdZAhGIAOUvTTD4RtxXX0BLegE9whe1PiIaH9z1N2_InCWBmrbVHu_dhfhinuJnQU_JTS0eVcM6yVQQjMcUfXnHova3psdAE47Cu79RsdQwwbULd0gW/s400/8101101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639241540702635586" border="0" /></a>
<br />Mia and Milo: The cutest cat-kid combo ever.
<br />Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-1533408671855377772011-08-07T20:50:00.000-07:002011-08-08T14:10:27.963-07:00It's ready! My e-book "Ready, Set, Sleep" launches today!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1DCRs3gWwjul2zJ-4ChAnxggPkawFohB3rJOrsoLKY0G6tFDJuclpC3GntwHVlhPWffMehgeXuNCXCkTJCLro_C2XdwSA_ayUd9mi36ZLywgbE9EAqIrw4uX4xxvB-KbVwxROOfqGbXk/s1600/RSS-cover-web-image.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1DCRs3gWwjul2zJ-4ChAnxggPkawFohB3rJOrsoLKY0G6tFDJuclpC3GntwHVlhPWffMehgeXuNCXCkTJCLro_C2XdwSA_ayUd9mi36ZLywgbE9EAqIrw4uX4xxvB-KbVwxROOfqGbXk/s400/RSS-cover-web-image.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638328141970308258" border="0" /></a>
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s here! My first e-book “<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.maliajacobson.com/ebook">Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too”</a> is launching today! I’m so excited!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In this e-book, I share what I’ve learned over nearly five years of answering sleep questions from tired parents—as a moderator for a global sleep website, as the resident sleep expert at <a href="http://www.parentingsquad.com/">www.ParentingSquad.com</a>, and as a widely-published sleep journalist for national and regional publications across the US and Canada. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some quick facts about <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ready, Set, Sleep</span>:</p> <ul><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--></ul> <ul><li>This is a thinking parent’s guide to sleep; it was written for parents who want to support their child’s sleep needs compassionately, respectfully, and effectively. </li><li>It is geared toward parents of young children, with simple, thoroughly-explained advice that will help babies and young children sleep better tonight and for years to come.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ready, Set, Sleep</span> is not an age-specific guide. <span style=""> </span>The tips will help parents of young children from birth through the preschool years and beyond.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ready, Set, Sleep</span> does not endorse “cry-it-out.” Of the 50 information-packed tips in this e-book, none involve leaving your child to cry.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ready, Set, Sleep</span> is not laden with value judgments. I do not shove a parenting philosophy down your throat. I simply offer practical, specific strategies that work. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ready, Set, Sleep</span> is not one-sized-fits all. 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locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" 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mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><i>"Malia Jacobson understands the struggles of sleep-deprived modern parents."</i></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><b>"Made a big difference to this sleep-deprived household!"</b></em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><b>"Insightful advice for all busy families with sleep problems."</b></em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><b>"Wise, useful resource."</b></em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><b>"Worked wonders for our family."</b></em></span></p> I believe you know your child better than anyone else. You are the expert on your own family. I’m here to help equip you with the information to help your child sleep better—so that you might be able to catch some zzzz’s, too.
<br />
<br />Interested? I hope you will check it out. And let me know how you like it! <p class="MsoNormal">Happy reading—and happy sleeping!</p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-6429537546208116642011-08-01T09:59:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:21:17.874-07:00“Go The F**k to Sleep" is brilliantly funny, sad, and also a little boring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312218419&sr=8-1"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5MwFh_51yUUzoK-RSGCu7Dl357aCMWaTnPnXHcH-gD5FQfARA0MmoSYoyY0JsXxRinreW9vrS0nGkq8T_9DqVPfSzQnzjZYm1DoR0O7S3D2G22rj_-0bBOpf8oBnSP48A6VyqILq3dhu/s400/Bleep+sleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635933607915707282" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> 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Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyone who hasn’t encountered the insanely funny, bestselling mock-children’s book “Go The F**k to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach must be hibernating. Movie rights have been sold, big-name audio versions released, and the buzz keeps on growing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Because I write about kids' sleep issues, quite a few people have asked me what I think about the book. The answer? I’m on the fence. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">On one hand, the book is pitch-perfect and side-splittingly funny. It hits the nail on the head. I find the illustrations by Ricardo Cortés particularly apt. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">(Sidenote: I do find it interesting that in mid-2011, we’re still so shocked and titillated by the F-word. In a children’s book! Gracious, me! If you take away the F-word, the book is still clever, but it loses a great deal of its shock value. “Go the Fudge to Sleep” doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">I’m not shocked by the book (not even by the F-word. Get this—I’ve heard it before!) I don’t think the book’s tone skims uncomfortably close to child abuse, like the author of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/27/zacharias.kid.book/index.html?hpt=hp_c2">this CNN op-ed</a>. I get the joke. The book resonates with me, and with other parents, because the feelings it parodies are so universal. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">When I read the book, I respond primarily to its humor. It’s meant to be funny, and it is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">But after my funny bone has been tickled, I’m left feeling…sad. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Sad, because the frustration that the book captures so well is something I recognize vividly in parents I’ve advised about their kids’ sleep problems. Although the book is funny, the situation it illustrates is not. <span style=""> </span>Many, many parents are in that horrible place. The place where their kids just won’t sleep and they haven’t a clue what to do next. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">These people have had their lives ruined by sleep deprivation. Their marriages and jobs suffer. They don’t enjoy parenting, and their kids know it. It’s an incredibly rotten situation that far too many good parents find themselves in. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">It’s great to laugh at a crappy situation, but after you’re done laughing, the crappy situation is still there. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">So there you have it. For me, the book is bizarrely funny and achingly sad. When I read “Go the F**k to Sleep,” I think of all of the good, conscientious, caring parents I know who want—<i>need</i>—their kids to sleep, who are slowly having the life sucked out of them, night by sleepless night. And that makes it hard for me to enjoy the book, however hilarious and insightful it may be.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">While hearing the title repeated endlessly has given me the tiniest bit of F-word fatigue—who would have guessed that the F-word could actually get boring?—it's still darn funny. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> 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mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]-->If you need a good laugh about the often-unfunny topic that is children's sleep, pick it up. I can near-guarantee that you’ll crack a smile, if you don’t crack up. And, when you’re ready to <i style="">help</i> your child sleep, please check out my new e-book on the topic:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.maliajacobson.com/ebook">“Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too.”</a></span> You’ll be glad you did.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""> </span>(P.S. Is anyone else super-curious about what Fox 2000 is going to do with the movie rights to the book? Should be interesting!)</p>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-74191092356468148262011-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:12:42.524-07:00Zen and the Art of Daddy Day Care<w:zoom></w:zoom><w:trackmoves><w:trackformatting><w:punctuationkerning><w:validateagainstschemas><w:donotpromoteqf><w:compatibility><w:breakwrappedtables><w:snaptogridincell><w:wraptextwithpunct><w:useasianbreakrules><w:dontgrowautofit><w:splitpgbreakandparamark><w:dontvertaligncellwithsp><w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables><w:dontvertalignintxbx><w:word11kerningpairs><w:browserlevel></w:browserlevel><m:mathpr><m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"><m:brkbin val="before"><m:brkbinsub val="--"><m:smallfrac val="off"><m:dispdef><m:lmargin val="0"><m:rmargin val="0"><m:defjc val="centerGroup"><m:wrapindent val="1440"><m:intlim val="subSup"><m:narylim val="undOvr"></m:narylim></m:intlim></m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:0in; mso-para-margin-left:63.35pt; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-45.35pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">During the summer, I’m one lucky gal. My teacher hubby is at home most days, so we swap childcare duties and work time as needed. His parenting style is different from mine: he scolds less, plays more, and isn’t nearly as productive (and yes, that is a good thing!). I’m definitely learning a thing or two from him. Here are a few pieces of daddy parenting wisdom, courtesy of my husband.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Put Your Feet Up, Already<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Chasing after a four-year-old and a one-year-old all day is no easy feat; sometimes it’s downright exhausting. Instead of complaining about how tiring it is (like I would do), he does something more practical: he takes a break when he needs one. He doesn’t neglect the kids, but he does zone out in front of ESPN for 10 minutes when he needs a breather. And get this: the kids survive. They usually take a cue from him and slow down too, snuggling up to him on the sofa or grabbing a book and reading. The result is a happier, less harried parent and kids who appreciate the importance of a well-deserved break.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">The Joy of Single-Tasking</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On my days with the kids, I’m a multi-tasking whiz. Often, I’ll start the laundry while they watch Sesame Street, fold clothes while they play, answer emails while their pasta boils, and wipe down the counters while they eat lunch. On my husband’s days with the kids, he specializes in single-tasking: he just spends time with them. At the day’s end, there may be unfolded laundry on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink, but the kids are happy and centered.</p><span style="font-weight: bold;">It’s OK to Stay Home </span><p class="MsoNormal">Like many stay at home moms, I’m rarely at home during the day. I go a little stir-crazy starting at my four walls, so I plan activities and playdates to get us out of the house. This also lets me squeeze in errands so I can feel marginally productive (see above re: multitasking). But Steve doesn’t share my affinity for the carpool lane. Under his watch, the kids have rediscovered the joy of their own backyard. He pulls weeds while Bianca catches butterflies and studies spiders and Mia digs happily in the sandbox. Everybody’s happy, and we save gas and hassle. Steve for the win!<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Soon, summer will end and we'll be back to full-time mommy care, complete with multitasking and schlepping around town. I know I'll be a refreshed and ready to get back to our regular routine--and just maybe, a little less harried and a little more relaxed, thanks to my lessons from Dad's Daycare Academy.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-urPy_q1DW9cmtcVF9zrG7b7UJ9MS-3Fth-kecB4rMRMk3Gw11VbHSy2hkdr8EMW-OhAUW4R8HdcpuYRu7SOg3M_AOjPiqMq7qS-oEKz4IYcuMa2uLMt5sZBufAoHJkT7NJlXO8Mfkq3/s1600/7271101.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-urPy_q1DW9cmtcVF9zrG7b7UJ9MS-3Fth-kecB4rMRMk3Gw11VbHSy2hkdr8EMW-OhAUW4R8HdcpuYRu7SOg3M_AOjPiqMq7qS-oEKz4IYcuMa2uLMt5sZBufAoHJkT7NJlXO8Mfkq3/s400/7271101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634031893144866866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Messy face, dirty shirt, laundry basket on the floor: hallmarks of daddy day care (but doesn't she look happy?).</span><br /><xml><w:worddocument><w:view></w:view> </w:worddocument></xml></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:brkbinsub></m:brkbin></m:mathfont></m:mathpr></w:word11kerningpairs></w:dontvertalignintxbx></w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables></w:dontvertaligncellwithsp></w:splitpgbreakandparamark></w:dontgrowautofit></w:useasianbreakrules></w:wraptextwithpunct></w:snaptogridincell></w:breakwrappedtables></w:compatibility></w:donotpromoteqf></w:validateagainstschemas></w:punctuationkerning></w:trackformatting></w:trackmoves>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2586136105216004246.post-57559838553649807492011-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:002011-07-16T21:11:48.440-07:00Bianca's Vacation: A Short Interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Sorry I've been MIA--we're shaking the sand out of our ears after a week and a half in Maui. It's our first trip to Hawaii with the kids (third trip there overall). It was everything Hawaii should be: relaxing, invigorating, and sweet-smelling. They say time slows down in Hawaii, but our time there went way too fast.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Since it's probably our first big family vacation that B will remember, I wanted to get her take on it. Easier said than done. (I'm a pretty experienced interviewer thanks to my article writing and corporate writing work, but she was a tough nut to crack. A very cute nut. But a tough one.)<b style=""><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_JSxzdB_xJx8UhzcWvOcGjGELLfmUZ8fVUSaGPv7x4XzjkI0YoEt-FIOrV0dNiAlf5crz4u55-9c8HCH-mCf8eGRp-z6YdScqJMRyPEHnSeXX5EInJVEWKmSgasuKaO2KRJ91n4kI26R/s1600/057.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_JSxzdB_xJx8UhzcWvOcGjGELLfmUZ8fVUSaGPv7x4XzjkI0YoEt-FIOrV0dNiAlf5crz4u55-9c8HCH-mCf8eGRp-z6YdScqJMRyPEHnSeXX5EInJVEWKmSgasuKaO2KRJ91n4kI26R/s400/057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630161808230713762" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">So, here they are:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Bianca's Vacation Memories (as told to her mom)</span><br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">What was the best part of vacation?</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">The airplane.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">The airplane? Really? Not the glass-bottom boat or the ocean center? Why the airplane?</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Because we were up really high and we got lots of treats. I kind of felt scared, but I didn’t tell you. Because I felt shy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Did you see lots of turtles in Hawaii?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Yes. We saw turtles every day.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">What were their names?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">They didn’t really have names. But they did have mommies, and their mommies had big, fat heads.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">OK. Did you have fun at mommy and daddy’s wedding ceremony? (Actually, our 10-year vow-renewal, but that whole concept was a little complex for a 4-year-old.)</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Yes. I wore a pretty dress, and so did you.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">I’m glad you had fun. But why were you crying?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">I was crying because I wanted you to hold me while you got married.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Oh. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, honey.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">That’s OK.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Do you want to go back to Hawaii when you’re bigger?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Yes. When Mia is a little bigger, too.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Did we eat lots of good food in Hawaii? What was your favorite? The pineapples, mangoes, or the coconut ice cream?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">The spaghetti.</i> (Note: this was a meal I made back at the condo, and something we have all the time at home. Go figure.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Anything else you remember about our vacation?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Um. Mama, can you stop talking to me? I’m trying to watch Charlie and Lola.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And there you have it! She was a great traveler, and I can't wait to take the kids back in a few years. (Someone on the airplane back to Seattle was complaining about how difficult it was to travel and fly with a three-year-old and a six-year-old. From where I was sitting, holding my thrashing 19-month-old and trying to keep her from smearing cookie crumbs on the bald spot of the guy in front of me, those ages seemed pretty ideal. I cannot WAIT to travel with a three-year-old and a six-year-old!)<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here's a <a href="http://www.mauiphotographerblog.com/2011/07/malia-stevens-maui-vow-renewal-preview.html">link</a> to our vow renewal photos by Karma Hill (Chi Omega sorority sister and pro photographer extraordinaire).<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8RwDSjjJR6G9gcfMn0YRj8UlPWlL5w39_wKwG5K4F5MME98ZhX5LDcshWw-FaUjAJ7WsURp87eJ8B2uWsAFw5tyWjysf3q-8hCqfxBam7Pfm3m3T_lQbZO1qjmDXr10svzORDbdbF2Xq/s1600/043.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8RwDSjjJR6G9gcfMn0YRj8UlPWlL5w39_wKwG5K4F5MME98ZhX5LDcshWw-FaUjAJ7WsURp87eJ8B2uWsAFw5tyWjysf3q-8hCqfxBam7Pfm3m3T_lQbZO1qjmDXr10svzORDbdbF2Xq/s400/043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630161821580947858" border="0" /></a>Maliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079242466743529453noreply@blogger.com4