A Mama's Rant

My son, the writer

The parenting experts tell you to model good behavior for your kids. If you want kids who are readers, you should have your nose in a book, subscribe to lots of newspapers and magazines, and read out loud to your children for 20 minutes every night. If you want fit kids, you should model good eating habits, take them for bike rides, and go as a family to swim at the rec center.

Well, I've been modeling picking up my clothes, not throwing gum wrappers on the floor, and preparing sandwiches on the kitchen counter. Yet my kids can't find the hamper without being yelled at. They also believe that the house is a dumpster, and leave garbage laying around. My daughter Lucie thinks the couch is just the right place to make a raspberry jam and Wonder Bread sandwich, too.

Gack! No wonder I yell so much.

Just Do It!

But wonders never cease. Nathan has become a writer. No, not because I'm modeling all that writing behavior by blogging, emailing and Twittering all day. It's just through shear determination, all those writing prompt assignments, and practice, practice, practice.

Last summer, he had to write a three sentence assignment each week for his teacher, Mrs. Boatman. Nathan's stories were variations on a theme. For example,

We went to the baseball game. I like watching baseball. Going to the baseball game is fun.

Or

I went to the playground. I like playing at the playground. The playground is cool.

You get the idea.

Since then the writing prompts have increased to eight sentences due every Monday to Mrs. Boatman. At first, Nathan would take one hour to write a couple of sentences, mostly because he was goofing around in his room. The assignment would take most of Saturday to complete, and part of Sunday to rewrite since his handwriting is so awful. It also involved a lot of yelling by my husband, "Dammit Nathan, stop messing around and get your homework done. JUST DO IT!"

5 Reasons Why I Loved The Fiction Class

First a little background. The Fiction Class by Susan Breen is about Arabella Hicks, a single, 38-year-old writer who has been working on the same book for seven years. Every week Arabella teaches a beginning fiction class. Afterwards, she travels out to visit her difficult mother at her nursing home. The book is about her struggles as a writer, her relationship with her mother, her budding romance, and her students.

There's more of course, but I don't want to give it away. Instead I'll share five reasons why I loved The Fiction Class.

1. Susan Breen is inspiring. Like so many of us writer mamas, she has to schedule her writing around her work and family life. (Susan has four kids.) She's written a great book even though she has a "real life" as a mom, wife and daughter. If she can manage to find the time, surely I can.

As she says on her website:

The problem is not finding time to write. The problem is finding time to do anything else, like the laundry, or cleaning the bathroom. I decided when my kids were little that something had to give. My children would be my primary focus, but the minute they were asleep, or at school, or watching TV, I would sit down and write. The result is that we live on pizza and none of our socks match and there are sections of my kitchen that really are a biohazard.

I can relate. After coming back from a wonderful trip to San Diego, I came home and noticed that the house looks especially shabby these days. That's what happens when you let your daughter make sandwiches on the couch.

Mamma Mia! Grab Your Video Camera and Enter Pond's Contest

We all have our guilty pleasures in life. Some of mine are watching "America's Next Top Model," reading too much science fiction, and listening to Duran Duran. I also - true confessions time here folks - like Abba. I don't know what is it about songs like "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen" but when I hear them on the car radio, I turn them up.

Well if you're a woman over 40 who likes Abba, and you have a video camera, you may be interested in this contest.

(Click here to read more...)

The word every mom fears - LICE

While moms don't want to hear about an outbreak of lice at school, I know of some kids who are absolutely terrified of getting lice. My sister Michele was one of those kids. She was obsessed about lice. Fearful of lice. And worried constantly about getting lice.

I, being the older sister, teased her unmercifully about it. One year I even made little "lice" out of white modeling clay, and put it in a fancy gold box as a birthday present. Was I evil or what?

But we pretty much went through our school years without getting it. Except one time that is. My parents were out of town and I was in charge. Since I was driving, I must have been 17 and Michele, 12.

I dropped her off one Saturday morning at a local salon to get her hair cut. A little while later I received a phone call from my sister. She was crying and really upset. "The stylist says I have lice!" she sobbed. "Can you come pick me up?"

I got her and we drove over to Long's Drugs to buy a bottle of lice shampoo for the two of us. The stylist said we both needed to do a lice treatment, wash our sheets and towels in hot water, and bleach our hair brushes and combs.

We weathered the storm and I think we were both proud that we could take care of something this serious - LICE! - on our own.

Click here to read more...

Hybrid Mom magazine needs help with the Six O'Clock Scramble

You know you need the Six O'Clock Scramble when:

• "What am I going to make for dinner tonight?" is the first thought that pops into your head the moment you wake up in the morning.  
• Your kids think most people eat pancakes for dinner, but you have the desire to create quick and healthy meals for your family.

If this describes life at your house, Hybrid Mom wants you to tell them why you need the Six O'Clock Scramble in your life.

Who is Hybrid Mom Looking For?
They'll choose one mom to feature in their summer magazine print issue and one mom blogger to chronicle her daily experience and chart her Six O'Clock Scramble progress on their website.

Here's how to enter
Tell the folks at Hybrid Mom in a brief essay of 200 words or less why you should be part of the Six O'Clock Scramble and send your submission to them at scramble@hybridmom.com. (This e-mail address is protected from spam bots, so you'll need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

All entries must be received by April 14, 2008 at midnight. Be sure to include your name and phone number along with your essay.

Good luck!

(Not your cup of tea, but looking for a place to be a mama writer? Check out Hybrid Mom's writer's guidelines.)

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

Take a virtual writing and blogging workshops at MotherVerse

MotherVerse, a semiannual literary magazine for mothers, is is now offering virtual workshops for mother writers and bloggers, and those who are looking for a way to get started in either. These virtual workshops are designed to help facilitate mother-writing by encouraging mothers to come together to learn and guide one another. The workshops will be led by experienced published mentors and are a great opportunity to start or expand a writing project or blog.

MotherVerse is currently offering two workshops, "Writing Motherhood" and "Publishing a Blog" which will begin at the end of April and early May. If you are interested in joining please sign up as soon as possible as each workshop has a limited enrollment. Visit the MotherVerse Workshop page  for more information and to register.

Writing Motherhood Workshop May 5 - June 2
This workshop focused on developing your current writing (creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry and blogging) or finding your voice in developing new writing. Gain the support and feedback of fellow mother writers and experienced mentors in this supportive environment. This is a 4 week workshop. Limit 20 attendees.

Publishing a Blog Workshop April 28 - May 19
Learn how to begin and follow through on a successful mother writer’s blog with the help of experienced mother bloggers. This workshop will cover both the technical aspects of starting a blog as well as the development of blog writing. This is a 3 week workshop. Limit 20 attendees.

Workshops are held online in a private forum and fees are based on a very reasonable sliding scale. There are also full scholarships available. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to join with other mothers and work on your writing, or learn how to publish that blog you have always wanted to start.

If you're a mama writer or blogger, visit the MotherVerse blog, their print submission page, and their blog submission page.

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

10 Ways to Green Your Home and Family

These days the whole world seems to be turning green, which is a good thing not only for the environment but your bank account.

CafeMom just launched their Small Changes - Big Impact site with lots of tips on how to make small changes that add up to a big difference to the environment. (Full disclosure: I work for them as a community moderator and before that I was a ClubMom blogger.)

Many companies are producing green versions of their regular products, for example Clorox's Green Works, which is very affordable. (Click here for my review of Green Works.)

And like many moms, I'm buying more recycled and earth friendly products like energy saving light bulbs, toilet paper made from recycled paper, and environmentally friendly laundry detergent - all available at my local Costco for the same price (or cheaper) than the regular items.

Plus, I'm eating more organic and locally produced milk, eggs, and veggies. (Click here for  my review of Horizon Organic's new DHA Omega-3 milk.) Often the organic stuff costs only a little bit more, plus I find that a lot of it tastes better than the mass-produced stuff.

A Book We Should All Read

So when the folks at FSB Associates told me about Nancy H. Taylor new book, Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community, I was very interested and ask for them to send out a review copy. This book gives readers the tools for a greener lifestyle beyond their own homes by profiling green transportation, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Go Green also includes tips for building green remodeling and eating locally. 

FSB also sent me Nancy's article 10 Ways to Green Your Home and Family, which gives terrific tips on how to save energy in the home. I already do many of the things she suggests like turning down the water heater and using energy saving bulbs. However, I spend way too much energy yelling at my family to turn off the g-damn lights or TV.

10 Ways to Green Your Home and Family

By Nancy H. Taylor, author of Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community

We use a lot of energy in our daily lives, for heating, cooling, lighting, appliances and transportation. There are many ways to save energy and money by making a few simple changes.

1. Change your non-dimmable light bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescents (CFLs). CFLs come in all shapes and sizes and even many shades of the color spectrum. So you do not have to have a white glare or even use the curly bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are going to be obsolete soon, so educate your kids about how much energy CFLs save. Because CFLs have a trace of mercury in the bulb, they must be disposed of at a recycling center.

2. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees F. or 50 degrees C. If your water heater is not insulated, wrap an insulating blanket around it. If your water heater is gas, and not insulated, be sure to leave room for the air vent. Do not cover any venting pipes with a blanket.

So, what kind of super hero are you?

Take another quizz by structured settlement annuity buyer.

No suprise here. I fight grime and chaos on a daily basis.

Taking a spring break with The Kite Runner

Oh no. The dreaded Spring Break is here. I have Monkey Boy and Boo Girl in a couple of Spring Break camps so I can have time for myself. It's only a few hours, which is enough time to stop by the library or local video rental store to grab a movie or two. I like to watch movies while I'm folding the laundry. Though with a movie like The Kite Runner, I find myself sitting on the bed, mesmerized and unable to much but watch.

Based on Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel The Kite Runner (paperback) (which is now on my "to read" list) , The Kite Runner DVD released this week from Paramount Home Entertainment. Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), the sweeping and emotional tale of friendship, betrayal and redemption received widespread critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, as well as Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score—Motion Picture.

Mama's all a' Twitter

follow amnichols at http://twitter.com