I’ve had my hands full this week at home with the kiddies while the husband was on a layover in Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year celebration. If you ever have the opportunity to go to China during the lunar new year, I highly recommend it. The fireworks, parades, and dragon dancers are spectacular. I’ve [...]
Entries from January 2009
January 25, 2009
Eating Your Vegetables
Ever have one of those moments as a parent where you hear something come out of your mouth and then think, “Did I just say that?”
I had just such an occurance tonight with my two-year-old daughter. The comment that issued forth was, “Take a bite of your chicken or your potato, and then you can have more [...]
January 23, 2009
A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire
I am currently reading A Lion Among Men, the third book in the Wicked series, by Gregory Maguire. I received a limited release first edition copy, signed by the author, as a birthday gift from my brother last month. He knows me so well!
January 20, 2009
Finally Back Home
After two days of airports, early morning shuttles, and playing the stand-by travel game, my oldest daughter and I are finally back home. We got stuck in Denver last night. She was such a trooper and master traveller yesterday. Today, however, let’s just say she must have reached her limit, no doubt spurred on by [...]
January 17, 2009
Seasons vs. Temperate Climate
My five-year-old daughter and I popped over to San Jose, CA for a quick weekend trip today. It’s a lot warmer here than in Chicago, which made packing difficult. It’s hard to imagine what 70+ degree weather feels like when it’s ten below zero at home.
It’s a nice little respite from the snow, but being back [...]
January 15, 2009
Off to Book Club
It’s -13 degrees Fahrenheit right now, and I’m heading off to book club this morning. It’s supposed to feel like -30 or -40 with wind chill. The schools were canceled today due to dangerously cold weather.
January 9, 2009
Back to the Novel
The writing retreat was a pure delight, and I managed to make the most of my time. I feel inspired and motivated.
I stocked my little cabin with food, so that I wouldn’t have to leave to go out to eat. I closed my email and kept the TV off to help prevent distractions. I was tossing around [...]
January 5, 2009
My Favorite Christmas Gift
My husband gave me the most amazing Christmas gift this year — a set of writing retreats! I’m off tomorrow for my first private writing getaway of 2009. I’m spending two nights away, secluded in an environment free from distractions to concentrate solely on my fiction, while my husband watches the kids and takes care of things on the home-front. This dedicated quiet time to write is just [...]
January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
How did you ring in the new year? We celebrated with good friends, kids, and grandparents. Five-year-old triplet boys slept over, and surprisingly, we had all the kids tucked in by 9:00 p.m. The grown-ups stayed up until midnight visiting, playing games, eating various snacks and sweets, and drinking rootbeer floats. This is the second year [...]
