Perfect

Is there such a thing as a TOO-GOOD mother?

You know, the one who keeps an immaculate house.

Prepares an organic, unprocessed, home cooked, original meal every night of the week AND stays within the food budget.

Has the laundry done and folded and nicely placed in everyone's drawers. (No one need ever scour the dirty clothes hamper for not-too-filthy socks.)

Knits sweaters with certified organic alpaca yarn.

Never yells.

Never cries.

Wears high heels without falling.

Has perfect hair.

Is never sharp, prickly or selfish.

Is never late. 

Has a craft prepared for every holiday and for every holiday a craft.

Anticipates her child's every need. He need never ask for anything. He need never wait.

But best of all, she destroys any chance her children have of ever being happy with a spouse, because they'll always be comparing either themselves or their spouse to HER.

All my shortcomings as a parent are actually Gifts to my children, because there are more important personality traits than perfection.

Now, don't you feel better?

Where in the World...?

I know I've been MIA around here lately and I'm SORRRRRY!

I decided to take it easy during the month of April, and taking it easy somehow morphed into DON'T BLOG AT ALL.

I attended the Western Washington SCBWI conference in Seattle last weekend and it was fabulous! I learned so much at this conference, I'm still reeling and living off fumes. I'll probably be sharing little writing tip tidbits over the next few weeks (nothing copyrighted, I promise!).

I've also been writing a lot -- trying to get the first/second/third draft of my WiP finished. The reason it's a first/second/third draft is also something for another blog post. *rolls eyes*

And I've been reading. One book on top of another. In fact, the little table next to my bed is piled so high with books, I'm often afraid it will collapse in the middle of the night.

Here's what I'm reading:

Novel in verse! *swoon*  And I got to meet Author Stasia Kehoe at the conference AND Editor Kendra Levin.

My first Justina Chen novel! And the love interest is a Chinese American boy with a cleft lip! So cool.

Sara is an agent sister of mine; wonderful book so far! I love the concept.

What have you been up to in the month of April? Any good books you've read that I should know about?

Putting the Spring in Break

Last week was spring break for my dashingly handsome sidekick and kids. We stayed home and did ... not much of any particular note except:

• lots of weed pulling (dashingly handsome sidekick and small slaves)
• lots of essay writing (dashingly handsome sidekick who is working feverishly on his National Board certification)
• lots of gymnastics (six year old upped her hours over the break and hit some new milestones-- her first kip & cartwheel on the beam; she's getting ready for state testing this summer)
• lots of reading (especially my eleven year old -- pictured below)
• and I wrote more than 10,000 words on my YA contemporary WiP. (Yay!)

So it was a productive vaykay and I enjoyed the sleeping in a lot. It'll be tough to get everyone up early and back to school tomorrow, and I won't lie, I'll miss my crazy kids (even if they do fight a lot).

My daughter and her snuggly reading buddy

How about you? When was your spring break? Did you do anything fun?