I'm a PiBoIdMo Winner and My #Nerdlution

Thanks to the PiBoIdMo challenge I have 34 brand new ideas to play with. I've already written two of them into drafts and there are a few more gems in the pile I think!

Whoa May, Slow Down

Ok, May starts tomorrow so I was taking a good look at my calendar. IT IS SO FULL! Whoa. 

Now that it is getting nice weekends are bound to disappear before we even get to them (full of fun things of course.) But, it seems as my weeks are terribly busy too. More so then usual. 

Here's what's coming up this month:

This is the extent of my doodling.
I should write a story about a snail...

May 1st-May 31st is Doodle Day May. I am not an artist, nor do I claim to be, but this has the potential to get some more creative juices moving and I can involve the kiddos! Can't get much better then that right?

May 1st-May 7th is NaPiBoWriWeek or National Picture Book Writing Week. The challenge here is to attempt to write 7 picture book drafts in 7 days. I have my list of ideas ready and I'm hoping they are ready to be written. Sometimes those ideas can be quite stubborn and the first drafts are SUPER bad, but a draft is a draft and the habit or writing a bit every day would be a great one to develop.

May 1st - July 31st Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Contest is open to New Authors. They pick 3 finalists and then in early November he public votes for their favorite. The winner gets their story in a whole bunch of cereal boxes and in the hands of millions of little readers. Not to shabby!

May 13th -May 19th is National Children's Book Week. Their about the week page says "Established in 1919, Children's Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country." How awesome is that?!? Go kid lit!

May 18th is the Gaithersburg Book Festival where they are going to have an awesome amount of stuff going on. Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, and Christopher Myers caught my eye quickly! I'm volunteering for the morning of the festival and hoping to be in the children's area to rub a few elbows!

May 19th is a Picture Book Panel at Politics and Prose in Washington DC. Part of the panel are Neal Porter (editorial director of Neal Porter Books) and authors Mac Barnett, Meg Medina and Jon Scieszka and author/illustrators Christopher Myers and Laura Vaccaro Seeger. I'm hoping to meet up with a few other SCBWI members before hand too! 

SO! That's just the picture book/writing/creative bits on my calendar this month. I hope baby #4 likes to go because we are going to be doing quite a bit of it this month. With tee ball, swim lessons and (what we like to call) "Mom's Stroller Workout" during the week and the end of trimester two coming up fast, I'm hoping I have time to sleep!

I'll apologize for the state of my house now, I won't be bored enough to clean it. :)

The Helpful Speed Bump ( aka Finding my Path)

There are two things I wanted to be when I grew up: a mom and a writer.

As other SAHMs (that would be: stay-at-home-moms) will tell you, it is the greatest and hardest job staying home with your kids. Some days are full of fun, laughter, and seemingly unending joy. But other days it can be hard to make it to bedtime. It can be terribly lonely if you don't seek out other adults, but these kiddos are endless sources of energy and boring is NEVER how I would describe my job.

Thank goodness for Spring!

It has taken me a bit longer to realize that being a writer was at the core of everything else I thought I wanted to do professionally. Before working at a television station in college, I was sure that's what I wanted to do. I was going be the next Katie Couric. But, that career ended before it began. The three years I did television in college were the only three years I had anything to do with television production.

From college, I volunteered for six months with Boys Hope Girls Hope in Detroit as a house parent for five teenage girls. This volunteer opportunity opened my mind to a career in non-profit and after a few months as a substitute teacher, I joined Talbot Mentors as the Program Coordinator. I loved the freedom to create new programs and monthly newsletters. I loved working with the elementary and middle school students after-school with homework, projects and other educational enrichment. After the Politician was born, no longer wanting to work full time, I signed on with Caroline County Recreation and Parks as a middle school After-School Coordinator.

Then came PT and with two little ones at home, I took on full time, stay at home mom status. Lots of play groups and story times. And along came the Enforcer in 2011. By then I was really looking for something to call mine, again. Ok, and a way to get rid of some baby weight. :)

So, 2012 was my year of running. With the three little ones at home, I relished the short time away to have something I needed to do alone. Each month I conquered another race. One was a half marathon! I loved the community, the commitment, the determination, and the persistence that running asked of and provided to me. As 2012 came to a close, I was already planning my racing calendar for 2013.

Enter baby number four and my running came to a screeching, stalled out, halt. Our new addition will be arriving late into the summer and has changed all those plans I had for 2013.

I wanted something like running. Something that required so much of me, but brought me so much in return. Something that got me out of my house and even though I could share it with my kids there was much I would need to do on my own. Something with a wonderful community and a way to grow and evolve in many different ways. I found just what I was looking for in writing.

I've always had journals and stories floating in my head, but I finally feel like I have taken the path I was supposed to take. Just like any crossroads in life, without a speed bump (mine is growing daily :) ) I probably would have missed the exit and passed right on by. For so many reasons, I am thankful for my children, but number four will always have a special place as the one who helped me realize a dream I had forgotten.

Many thanks to everyone in the Picture Book Community. Through 12X12 and the PBA (Picture Book Academy,) I have felt right at home and surrounded by amazing, intelligent and like minded people. I look forward to what is in store for 2013 and beyond!

I would love to hear your journey! Have you had a helpful speed bump?

Hello 2013 - An Update and a Surprise

So, I'm a little behind. January and February went by in the blink of an eye and I will turn 30 in two weeks! Aye.

I have a confession to make. I have not run a lick since December. Not once. But I have a really good reason. I spent the better part of the last two months fighting morning sickness and fatigue thanks to our fourth little bundle that is due to arrive in late August. Yup, SURPRISE, baby number four is on the way!

So, I am going to be changing my goals for 2013 and there isn't a lot of running involved. I am hoping to get out once this alleged "second wind" kicks in, but since I don't remember that from the first three, I'm not planning on it. I will be getting more creative and I do very much want to exercise through this pregnancy unlike the other three. I'll let you know what I come up with!

So without the monthly races and weekly running, this blog is going to be taking a bit of a different course this year. I am facing a different, but equally daunting, challenge this year. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved writing. In school, I was that kid that was excited to get a creative writing assignment and my problem wasn't writing enough, it was writing too much.

Well, this year I am diving into the world of picture books. I have signed up for an online class and joined an amazing group of children's book writers participating in the 12 X 12 challenge. The challenge is to write a new picture book draft each month all year. Since I was out of it in January, I'm going to need to double up during at least one month!

I am very excited to see where this leads! I'm hoping to submit at least one story to agents/editors before the end of the year. I'll share what I learn along the way and if you would like to read some kid lit, I would love your feedback. Really good feedback may result in baked goods for you and yours!

Click the link for information on the 12X12 Challenge. Today is the last day to enter if you want to join in the fun!!