The Countdown

What does Hawaii look like in January? Don't ask me - ask my husband. Right now he's on Kauai, the Garden Isle, feeling the ocean breeze on his face, catching a nice tan in 80 degree temperatures and watching beautiful Hawaiian sunsets.

Without his wife.

For the 8th time.

Hmm. Something isn't quite right here.

Well, to be quite honest, he is working - really. He hops on a plane every January and for two to three weeks he toils in a cornfield in the Hawaiian sunshine. Being a Research Technician for a chemical/corn breeding company does have it's perks after all. . .

Why aren't I with, you ask? Well, I could go with him and sit alone in a hotel while he baked in the sun or I could roam the island by myself while he worked from dawn til dusk. Neither sound like an option I'd like to try. I'd rather have both - the vacation and my husband - at the same time. Call me silly.

And it also seems that God's timing for a Hawaiian vacation is not right now. The couple times we'd planned my flying out there when his work was completed ended up being crossed off the list in favor of other things. You know, those little things that keep popping up like . . . a pregnancy, a nursing infant, selling the house . . . those things.

So, I stayed home with my boys, cleaned the house top to bottom, rearranged closets and listened to the freezing rain and -30 windchill forecast. Living in Minnesota does have it's perks after all. . .

This year two of my close friends spent a few days with us and we laughed hilariously, stayed up till the wee hours on a Jane-Austen-era kick watching movies such as Persuasion and Jane Eyre and nibbled chocolate.

Then the boys and I went to visit my twin sister and her family. Again I laughed hilariously, stayed up until the wee hours watching Wuthering Heights and Northanger Abby and nibbled chocolate. Then I added a run to the ER and watched as the flu bug made it's rounds just for the fun of it.

Ahh, the joys of trying to pass time more quickly while my beloved is gone. Reading late at night until my eyes are too fuzzy to see. Watching the hands circle the clock for the godzillionth time. Waiting for the phone to ring and hoping it's his daily call. . .

So now we are counting down the days, trying to catch up on sleep, praying for his safe return, smelling his coat and hugging it while it hangs in the closet (I know, I'm pathetic), cuddling my infant, teaching school, tucking the boys in at night, and above all, realizing the precious gift God has given me in my husband. Being alone for a time does have it's perks after all. . .

Book Contest

Well, it's not really a contest per se. You don't have to juggle or sing in front of an audience. Of course that might be fun to see! :) That reminds me . . .

Once a year our church family has a talent show at our Valentine's Banquet. Mostly it's Carl, our comedian, or one of the younger generation that happily skip up to the front of the room and tell a side-stitching joke or perform a neat trick or routine. But one year our quiet and reserved pastor's wife stood up, walked calmly to the front of the room, and with the guitar accompaniment from her husband, began a cute little tune that went something like, "What would you do in a little canoe with the moon shining all around . . ." It floored us that she got up and sang in front of everyone. The song was pretty cute too! :)

This contest is much simpler. Really. All you have to do is pop over to the book review blog I share with my twin sister at Reviews By Two and read about our latest review on Marilyn Rockett's book, Homeschooling at the Speed of Life: Balancing Home, School, and Family in the Real World.

Then, post a comment here or on that blog and your name will be entered to win. The winner will be announced on October 1st. Don't forget to leave your email or I won't be able to contact you. (And I won't spam, sell or do any of that stuff.) Either that or check back and if I don't have an email to contact the winner with, I'll post their first name and can be contacted through my email.

Okay, the contest is officially open!

It Has Arrived - Part II

Yeehaw! We are done getting our school supplies. Our Sonlight box came - it was HUGE! And silly me, I forgot to order a few things even though I went over my list about 5 times. Still, the box was enormous and we had a ball opening it and digging everything out.

Yes, that new book smell sent goosebumps down my arms - and I think it's catchy. My oldest son Cody loves to read and he seemed just as excited as dear old mom.

My second son Wyatt has stated that, "Cowboys don't need ta read." But I think I caught a glimpse of excitement in his eyes too. Either that or the prospect of learning to read this year made his eyes glaze over. That's one of the main reasons we chose Sonlight--to encourage him to read and show him it can be enjoyable.

Right now he'd rather carve a stick into a spear and go hunting. But, as I've told him, reading will come in handy at least once or twice in his life, so he will have to learn. I'm just trying to make it fun for him and I think we'll accomplish that with Sonlight.

Now that my school supplies are bought, I'm moving on to Christmas. Yes, I realize it's the end of August, but I've formed my mother's habit of shopping early. One of my favorite places to browse for gifts for the boys is Vison Forum.

They have the coolest toys for boys. Slingshots, swords, knife throwing, great biblical and historical books (that's always a plus), ropes, etc. It's great.

It Has Arrived! - Part 1

Okay, you'll forgive me a little squeal when I tell you...it has arrived!

Our first shipment of homeschool curriculum came today. (Squeal!) I ordered from Rainbow Resource - I love them, by the way - and the box arrived today.

I'd ordered the boys' spelling (Bob Jones), science (Switched On Schoolhouse), and Wyatt's math (Saxon). I like to mix and match.

The books were still in their wrappers. Maybe I'm the only one who gets a thrill when opening a BRAND NEW book and fanning the pages. That 'new book' smell and the unmarred pages represent a new year with a fresh start.

I'm a horrible mom though.

I let the boys look at the books for a few minutes and then I snatched them away. "You can't look at them again until school starts," I told them. I know, I know, how cruel is that! But really, if I let them look at the books all summer, then there won't be that excitement for school to begin this fall. Half the fun is just getting the new books, freshly sharpened pencils, and the resolve to have the best school year we've ever had. It might not last long -- but the thought is there.

I'll be ordering from Sonlight for the first time this year. That's where It Has Arrived - Part 2 will come in. I'm even more excited about that shipment because it will be full of books! (Squeal!)

Promoting Yourself

I hate promoting myself. My mother used to tell me never to use the word 'hate'. So, okay, I VERY STRONGLY DISLIKE promoting myself.

It's one of those things I could live without. Like weeds in the garden, bad hair days, and sushi. (Don't ask me how those three are connected.)

Promoting, to me, has always felt like I'm waving a big flag in front of my face and saying, "oh, here I am. Look at me!" I'd really rather stay hidden in the background, behind the curtains, with the door closed . . .

But when you are an author, promoting yourself is something you need to do. In the past publishers used to handle all of the promoting, but no more. Most publishers won't consider working with you if you have no desire or ambition to help get the word out about your books.

We need to let people know about our books. If no one knows, no one will purchase them. And to be blunt, if no one purchases them, we aren't going to have our publisher knocking our doors down to sign another contract.

So what's a gal (or guy) to do? Bite the bullet and promote. But in promoting, there's also something to be said for leaving that big flag at home -- at least for me. You can promote yourself without hiring a plane to fly a banner across the sky.

No matter where we go or what profession we are in, there's going to be days we need to do things we don't like. Welcome to the world. But having a good attitude and a good plan of action will eliminate most of the headaches. (I did say most.)

For authors it's fairly simple. (Really, it is.)

1. Get your book reviewed - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the hundreds of review sites on the web.

2. Do a book signing - make sure you have plenty of books, pens, maybe even a bowl of candies. Some authors like to wander through the aisle at the bookstore and visit with the customers. Make a colorful and eye-catching sheet of paper with some of those reviews to pass out.

3. Set up a website - nearly everyone has a website. It's almost a crime not to have one.

4. Set up a speaking engagement - children's books are easier to my way of thinking. Schools love having authors visit. Libraries love having authors visit. Homeschool groups love having authors visit. Get the idea?
If you don't write for children you write for someone else. Women, men, teachers, do-it-yourselfers, pastors, mothers, etc. Set up a speaking engagement at your local library or through your community center.

These are just a few tips - I know you all have great ideas of your own. What is your favorite way to promote? What have you done that has made the biggest impact?