crazedparent

On the floor next to my side of the bed (where a nightstand should sit)...

I've been working on changing my sleep habits for the past few months. Instead of staying up late and working and reading online, I'm crawling into bed by 9:30pm and reading books and magazines. And forcing myself to close a book after a few chapters instead of keeping myself up until 1 a.m. trying to finish the entire thing in one sitting. Such a simple thing to do with an important result: I fall asleep with a clear head instead of my mind wandering about the 20 things I need to do.

Added bonus? I have read books -- from children's literature to biographies and sports books -- that are insanely well-written, inspiring, astounding and just plain good.

You might not be inclined to read any of these books but just in case, here's a list of what's covered the side of my floor lately:

• The Water Giver by Joan Ryan. Joan is a sports journalist and author, and has always served as one of my inspirations to go into journalism. I've followed her work for years in the SF Chronicle. If you read The Water Giver, a story about her son's skateboarding accident and his recovery, you'll need Kleenex -- lots and lots of Kleenex. You'll also need a journal nearby because it'll make you want to write.

• My Life in Paris by Julia Child. It took me a month to read this autobiography by Julia Child because it is rich with details and color. You must pay attention to every word because if not, you'll miss important ingredients that make it such a sweet read.

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. My husband gave me this book as a gift and this amused me immensely because you know who recommended that I read it? Rick Springfield, that's who. The story is told from the viewpoint of a dog and if you are a dog person like me, you will never see your pup in the same way again.  Also? You will cry. And you will give your dog so many cuddles that the mutt will think you are losing it.

• The Rocket that Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball by Jeff Pearlman. Probably one of the best sports biographies I've read. I used to watch Clemens pitch. His amazing speed and ferocious attitude made him entertaining. The guy was always wild on the mound, for good and for bad. Add taking the juice over and over and you've got someone ripe for destruction.  If you are a baseball fan, this book has to be on your list. It's almost unbelievable.
  

• Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger. So this book is truly for the baseball junkie (*raises hand*). It follows a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs from back in 2003. What happens over those three days is as intense as it gets in the game. And the chapters that focuses on the death of Cardinals' player, Darryl Kile, and its aftermath will stick with you.

Next up on my list to read are books my two of my favorite bloggers and writers: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. Also? The Baseball Codes. Can not wait to read this one. I started it at the bookstore and found myself glued to the first story about Nolan Ryan and his unwritten code. Good stuff.

What are you reading?

Living mindfully and with grace...

A few days after I put that little NaBloPoMo button on the blog (to your left), I had the overwhelming urge to just unplug for a spell. I enjoy the maintaining a writing/posting routine, but I'm not into forced writing. And for me and my writing style, that's what NaBloPoMo becomes: forced writing. Even though lots of wonderfully fun things were happening here last week, I chose not to post about it. A mini protest of sorts. NaBloPoMoNoMo. Get it? NoMo = No more. Yeah, whatever, I thought it was clever. Moving on.

I picked up a copy of Body+Soul,  which is a Martha Stewart magazine, while grocery shopping yesterday. The cover oozed "serenity now" with its image of hot pink flower; I couldn't resist. I always gather lots of interesting tidbits of information and ideas that are useful in day-to-day life, and so the magazine is one of my regular reads.

The section I most enjoy is the on the last page of the rag and it's called "10 Thoughts on Whole Living." Some of them are ethereal and have that New Age vibe. Most, however, just inspire good, kind living.

Here's one that I truly love from the November issue: "Try doing even the most menial tasks mindfully and with grace."

Reading those words makes me smile, which leads me to believe that living through that thought would make me smile more often, too. Now, I'm not sure I'll be scrubbing the toilet mindfully and with grace, but I willing to give it a shot.

But when I'm in Maui in a few weeks time? I'll absolutely be doing every menial task mindfully and with grace. That you can count on.

Linky Loo: Funny things kids say and crafty goodness...

Seven often looks over my shoulder when I open up my laptop. He's nosey and wants to know what his Mom does online. He finds great humor in watching me scroll through my Bloglines feeds because all of you have such clever, ingenious blog names.  Plus he knows a few of the names ("Hey - when are we going to see CityMama?"  "Sassafrass is your friend, right Mom?" "Did Pet Cobra surf today? (And when are we going to Sea World with him again?")

But last night, he asked the question of all questions.

"Mom, who is Bakerella?"

"Well, hon, she's a woman who loves to bake and takes pretty photos of what she's made. Like those cake pops we make? They were her idea."

"No, Mom, WHO IS SHE? What is her REAL NAME?"

I had no clue because to me, she's always been Bakerella. But now I know her name is Angie and Seven is complete because he can say, "Oh, did you learn how to do that by Angie from Bakerella?"

During the Maya's Mom days, we called these quirky things "Kidisms." The Maya's Mom-based social network over at BabyCenter still uses that term and it's always fun to know other kids are as silly, curious and flippant as your own kid. 

I wanted to point you to a new site developed by some local parents (local to me, that is) who created a new site called "Out of the Mouths of...", where you can also submit those memorable things your kids say. Also? You can share things that your boss/co-worker/spouse/neighbor/kid's teacher said. From dumb to silly to outrageous.

But really, it's always the kid stuff that gets me. 

Anyway, pay a visit to Out of the Mouths of ...  It's a simple, blog-based site and they make it easy to submit your favorite quotes and vote on your favorites. 

And if you are into crafty goodness, you'll love Indie House. A really sweet blog with gorgeous photos and lots of nice (and easy to follow) sewing tutorials, like this adorable box pouch that I am eager to make.

Have you found any new sites or blogs that you love lately?

Reading with kids: Old stories, new laughs

Seven I have spent the summer reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It's the seventh read for me––I read the entire series before I watch the latest flick––and his first real time hearing the story. I add "real" because last year, we tried to cover it but he wasn't ready to remember level of detail required to follow the story.

We started in June when Seven finally had his one bedroom. He and I lay side by side on his pillow, blinds pulled shut, nightlight on. Initially, we only read about 5 pages a night. My voice was at the early stages of hoarseness (another story, another time) and I couldn't read much longer. A few weeks ago, I started reading a chapter a night, taking breaks for road trips, summer gatherings and random nights without stories before bed.

Seven will only allow me to read the book with him because he knows that his dad hasn't read the series yet. ("Dad doesn't get it, right mom?") When I traveled to Chicago, he put the book aside until I returned.

Last night, we read "Chapter Fourteen: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback." Hagrid, the school's groundskeeper, is illegally harboring a baby dragon and Harry, Hermione and Ron work to save him from trouble. Harry and Hermione prepare to take the dragon from Hermione.  The dragon is in a crate.

I read:

    "I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

Seven erupts with laughter. He can't contain how silly he thinks it is to put a teddy bear in a crate with a baby dragon. Soon, I am laughing. I can barely read the next few sentences, knowing they will send Seven into a full-blown belly ache laugh. I also watch him with mix of pride and wonder; his ability to catch the humor slays me.

    "From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having     his head ripped off."

    "Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed ... "Mommy will never forget you!"

Tears streamed down our faces as we laughed and laughed and laughed. We finally settled down, we finished the chapter, kissed each other goodnight, and joked about baby dragons named Norbert and their stuffed teddy bears.

I've read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets seven times. Seven times. I didn't remember the details of Chapter Fourteen.

Now, they are details I will never forget.

Random Friday thoughts and confessions..

My mind is a jumble of thoughts right now and all on unrelated topics. While I want to write separate posts on each of them, I believe they would all get buried in the blog post chasm of my brain. Instead, I expose you to my literary heave:

-Sleep, interrupted: Five and Q. are on an early wake-up streak. For the past two weeks they are out of bed by 6 am regardless of when they went to sleep. It saps my energy and feeble brainpower by 8am and makes for one cranky mama. Anyone else with this conundrum?

-No coloring: Five hates the one activity kindergartners spend the most time doing: coloring worksheets. "It's boring," he says with a sigh when we review his classwork. I am reminded of my kindergarten self and how I despised coloring within the lines. He's so much like his mama. And I'm having a difficult time convincing myself that he needs to like coloring. Yes, it's good practice for his fine motor skills. Yes, he needs to follow instructions. But no, I can't make him color within the lines.

-Diving in: My husband asked me what made me nervous about taking swimming lessons. Beyond the deep end, I told him in all honesty that a cute, male swim instructor would cause me to revert to my 12-year-old geeky self with a crush on my brother's best friends. My old instructor moved to New York over Thanksgiving -- and I met my new trainer this morning.  He's a cool, surfer/big brother cute, not water polo cute -- and he worked me over. My session today left me breathless and aching but with an endorphin high. Dig it.

-Bad reads: I recently read Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler by Wade Rouse. It's a memoir of his life as running PR for a high-end private school on the East Coast. One word: painful. It's very similar to the The Nanny Diaries in that the protagonist is treated like dirt from the so-called villain, yet this person continues to allow himself to be emotionally beaten to a pulp. You don't pull for this character to get the hell out of dodge. You pity him for being spineless. And when you remind yourself that this is a memoir, you feel even worse. Not my kind of book. But if you want it, let me know. The first person who leaves a comment with a request for it can have it!

-Good reads: I also just finished reading the galley proof of Rock Star Mommy: My Life as A Rocker Mom by Judy Davids, the lead guitarist of the mom rock group The Mydols. A bunch of moms with no instrument experience whatsoever form a band and kick some serious boo-tay in Detroit. I can't say more about the book because it's not out yet, but I will admit that it got me very fired up about attending Ladies Rock Camp next spring. I'm ready to shred. And no, you can't have the galley proof.

-Confessions: It's a known fact that the crazedparent house does not own a television, but that we watch DVDs on occasion. I used to be a big fan of the soap opera, General Hospital. It's really easy to keep up with this soap with online updates of daily episodes. One day I came across a You Tube member who posts daily with entire episodes. (Why was I looking on You Tube for GH episodes? Why else -- to see a little snippet of Dr. Noah Drake.) And now, each night I watch the first and last ten minutes of General Hospital. I feel slightly dirty about this habit. But seriously, when are Jason and Elizabeth going to just play house? And is Coop the strangler? Or is it sleazy Logan?

I feel much better now that I've purged with words.

Happy Friday!

Read my stuff at Family.com...

For the past few months I've been doing some writing for Disney's recently revamped parenting site, Family.com. My story assignments have been most fun, largely because they are 100 percent relevant to my parenting realm. Take a read and if you enjoyed them and feel so inclined rate them with lots of stars! (You'll understand when you read the articles!) There's more to come.

-Kids Hobbies That Foster Family Time

-Five Months and Counting: Is Your Child Kinder-Ready?

-All-Purpose Birthday Gifts Under $20

-Family 5: Our Best Educational Toys for First Graders (Ages 4-7)

If you're on the prowl for some new blog reads, take a gander at the Disney Family Parenting Team Advisors (I'm on it, too, and I'm shameless about telling you.)

Forgotten family...

My husband is one of my biggest writing supporters. He always finds wonderfully written stories and shares them with me because he knows I'm always trying to improve my style. He also knows that I appreciate the fine art of storytelling.

This morning, he handed the newspaper over to me and told me to read "Forgotten Family" by legendary LA Times sportswriter writer Bill Plaschke. "It's a good feature style."

The boys had finished their breakfast and went off to play. I sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast and reading. The story was about the family of former LA Dodgers pitcher Tim Crews. In 1993, Crews was killed in a boating accident. At the time, my husband and I had discussed how Crews had been drinking and drove his boat with a few teammates. One was killed along with Crews; the other, seriously injured. And Crews left behind his wife and three young children. It was heartbreaking and so terribly tragic.

I was barely 100 words into the story...and I was crying as Plaschke wrote about Crews' now college-aged son, Shawn, missing "the father's touch." My tears went on for the rest of the story. And Plaschke even admitted that as he met with Crews' family, interviewed them, shared stories about Crews, they all cried -- himself included.

I was torn at the end of the story. Plaschke gave this family what they so desperately wanted and needed: memories of a man they loved and lost. Shawn Crews was only four years old when his dad died. And as he says in the interview, he doesn't even remember his dad's voice.

Yes, Crews' family needed to hear what Plaschke had to share.  But then he turned around and wrote about it. The story seemed so intimate. A side of me felt like Plaschke shouldn't have published it. Yet, I'm so grateful that he did. My husband was right -- it is such a well-written feature. I learned from it.

But perhaps most important, I remembered Tim Crews. As did so many other readers. Tim Crews and his family are no longer forgotten.

My post cannot do Plaschke's article justice. Please do read it.

Weekend reads...

If you're in need of a few good reads this weekend, check out these stories from the past week...

-NY Times Sunday Magazine True Life Tales: Have Fun: A very well-written and comedic story that reminds us no matter how old we are, we should always take heed of our parent's warning to "Be safe." (Yes, this is from last week's issue. With two kids, it takes me just that long to read the Sunday Times.)

-Will Polar Bears be Okay?: Are your young children asking questions about global warming? Check out this Newsweek article for some practical and kid-friendly tips about the topic. Think about it -- are they ever too young to learn how to go green?

-BusinessWeek Online's Working Parent Blog: I'll be highlighting this blog over at Job-Mom too. I really dig it. Several BW columnists write for it and I love that they capture working parent topics with a real vibe. They tell it like it is and it's nice to read their posts and feel like someone else shares your pain when it comes to work-life balance.

What are you reading this weekend?

When the police show up on your door step...

...what do you do?

It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon. I had returned home from a few hours of creating scrapgasms at our local scrapbooking shop. We were doing some housecleaning, the boys were running in and out of house from the backyard. We had a few "stop running in the house" matches ("Mom, are you scolding me?" was the phrase Nol used). Dinner was on the stove, filling the air with blissful scents of good food.

The doorbell rang. I walked over and peeked out the window to see who our surprise visitor was on the front porch since we weren't expecting anyone. It was a tall, Latin man in blue. With a badge (okay fine, he was cute too -- I know you were waiting for this tidbit of information).

Q. ran over to me so I picked him up and opened the front door with him resting on my hips.

"Hello officer," I said with a smile. Hey, I was just being friendly. He smiled back, and then the reason for his visit became clear. It was official police business. Different thoughts swirled through my head -- had there been a crime committed in our neighborhood? Did someone in our family die in a car crash?

"Hi, ma'am," he said, his face looking slightly uncomfortable. "We've received several reports that...your home is calling 911."

Nol knows not to call 911 unless it's an emergency. Q., on the other hand, had been playing with the phone 20 minutes earlier. I felt my face get warm as the redness of embarrassment crept up my cheeks.

"Well, we haven't called," I said, "but let's see if Q. has accidentally dialed you up."

I grabbed the phone and hit redial. The digits shown?

9-1-1-9.

Yup, my almost two-year-old son committed his first crank call.

The officer laughed. "We thought children might be involved."

I apologized profusely for the false alarm and promised we'd keep the phone away from the boys.

(Unless I'm in the mood to see a tall, cute Latin police officer.)

The WSJ, since you asked...

A few folks have asked me (thank you!) how The Wall Street Journal story turned out (I was interviewed earlier this week.) The story was by Sue Shellenbarger, who is the WSJ's work and family columnist, and it appeared yesterday. Sorry peeps, you have to have a subscription to read it.  So here's a summary...

The article is called "Finding Day Care that Helps Kids Play Well With Others," and Sue offers three signs that parents should pay attention to if their child is in daycare. My quote appears in a section called "Disengaged Parents." During the interview, I told Sue that many parents, especially new parents with a first child in daycare, assume that if their son or daughter misbehaves, the daycare teacher will tell mom or dad. This is not necessarily the case. What is acceptable to the daycare teacher or considered "normal," like rampant potty talk or kids wrestling, won't even register as something to tell a parent picking up a child. Instead, you find out about it at home when your son calls you a "Poo-Poo-Pee-Pee Head." Am I right?

So I basically said that parents need to proactively ask their care providers about their kids on a routine basis. And if your kid is acting up and it seems to be something that was picked up at daycare, nip it. And nip it fast by partnering with the daycare provider and the teacher.

Long story short, our 30-minute conversation was summed up in one little graph:

"Parents also can team up with teachers to curb bad behavior. When Charlene Prince Birkeland's toddler started using "potty talk" picked up in child care, the San Francisco-area mother says, she decided not "to just let it slide." Instead, she met with his teachers and agreed on a plan to stop it."

If I were a PR coach, I'd say that was "on message."

Happy Friday!