Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!!

It's so easy to get stuck thinking about all the negative things in our lives. All of the shoulda, coulda, woulda's that we all go through. Today is for being thankful for all that we have in our lives. It doesn't have to be big stuff, in fact, I find that it's the small stuff I'm most thankful for. So, I thought I would share a little bit of my list with you.

1. My family
2. My friends 
3. My health
4. Being able to be a stay-at-home mom
   
5. Plenty of good books to read
   

What's at the top of your list?

Free Books

That's right, free books! 

Did I get your attention?

Yeah, I thought so. *grin*

While I was reading through some of the blogs I like to keep up with, I came across this little beauty. Free Book Friday Teens features a new young adult book every week. All you have to do is go here and sign up. Every week you can enter to win a free book. Now, here's the kicker...the books are also signed by the author! How cool is that?

Very! It's very cool!

If you're not into the whole young adult thing (and I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't be) they haven't left you out. You can go here and sign up to win a different adult book every week.

Now before you go off and check it out, let me just warn you that you don't comment to enter to win. There is an entry form on the left sidebar. If you try to enter by commenting, you'll lose out. Make sure to go to the left sidebar and fill out the little entry form.

Thank you Jessica Brody for creating Free Book Friday Teens and Free Book Friday! You're my new hero!!

Two chances to win a free book every week. Now that is something to be thankful for!! ;)

Halloween Candy

Dear Halloween Candy,

You know I love you, but I wish you would go away. I hear you calling to me during the day and into the night. It's distracting to have you sitting on the counter with all of your ooey gooey yummy goodness, taunting me. Teasing me.

Stop it. I am trying to be good and get in shape. You're not helping me, so I am going to have to get rid of you. Don't take it personally, I'll always love you. I'll always crave your sugary goodness. I just think our relationship has run its course.

Longingly yours,
Jennie

Free Kindle

Hey guys!
There's a contest to win a free Kindle here. All you have to do is sign up!

Go enter and good luck!!

;)

Stairs

Dear Stairs,

You are no longer my friend. There are too many of you and you are too steep. My aching body just cannot put up with your cruel taunting laughter as I stumble my way up you after working out.

It's not funny. Stop laughing.

Sorely,
Jennie

Writing Again

I'm still waiting on several agents to get back with me. I've been playing the waiting game. It's the hardest game I know. I'm horrible at waiting. The worst.

To get my mind off of it, I've started writing again. I'm working on the next book in the series I hope to get published one day. There are six books altogether in the first story, buy I have several ideas past that.

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to get to know your characters. What their physical appearance is, their likes and dislikes, their history, their attitudes, finding their voice. It can take me days to find just the right name. And the name has to be right. No name, no writing. The story just won't happen for me.

Before I can really start writing, I need to know everything about my characters along with the setting they're in. If they use a weapon, I research the weapon so when I write about it I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about.

I also need to have a pretty good idea of  what will be happening. For me, it's like watching the preview of a movie. I know all the good parts, I just have to fill in the rest.

It's my research phase. I really enjoy the research phase. It's where I am right now.

I'm almost done with it. In fact, this next week I should be able to start working on my next story. *does happy dance*

What's your writing process?

Bullying

Bullying - written or oral expression or physical conduct that a school district's board of trustees or the board's designee determines:  1.) to have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a students property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or property; or 2.) to be sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to create an intimidating , threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student.
**Taken from Fort Bend ISD Student Handbook 2009-2010 pg. 68

Yesterday, my middle boyo was walking by two boys fighting at recess with one of his friends. He was punched in the arm which caused him to fall and while he was on the ground he was slapped in the face. When I went to the school to check on him he was icing his face. I could still see the slap mark. My boyo and I went to gather his things for the day (his head and arm were hurting him) and his teacher didn't even know what was going on. Someone had told her he had fallen and that was it.

My first question to him when we left was where were the teachers. He told me they weren't far away, but they were talking. Maybe it's just me, but I have a problem with that. Why were these teachers chit chatting and not watching the kids? And if they weren't far away why didn't they stop the two boys that were fighting before it could escalate into what it did? There are close to one hundred and fifty first grade students and only three or four teachers there to watch them during recess.

That afternoon when we went back to pick up the rest of my kiddos, my boyo saw the twit that slapped him in the face. The boy was still there. Now, this absolutely blew my mind. Our school is supposed to be a zero hate/no tolerance school. Why was this twit still there? Certainly slapping someone in the face is considered bullying, right?

According to the school district's own definition of bullying it is. When I brought this little fact up, I was told that it's not bullying unless it happens more than once.

When I inquired as to what punishment the other boys received, I was told they can't tell me. And then, I was told that when the Assistant Principal  spoke to the two little boys that were fighting, she couldn't really tell what my boyo's roll in it all was, but the teacher on duty had said that my boyo was "play wrestling" with the two other little boys. And that she wasn't sure why, if he was involved, that he didn't get in trouble too.

So, just like that my boyo went from being an innocent by-standard that got hurt to being included in the guilty party.

I informed her that our stories seem to not match. That in fact, my boyo was playing with someone else. That in fact, my boyo was just trying to get around those two twits. That in fact, the teachers on duty were too busy chatting it up to really notice what happened.

I left her office feeling like I'd been slapped in the face myself.

I'm not sure what our next step should be. Or if there even is a next step.

What would you do?

To Read List

Dear To Read List,

I hear your complaints. I know you're quickly reaching critical mass levels. I cannot help the fact that there are so many good books out there to be read right now. I keep buying books and deleting them off of you, but you seem to grow faster everyday.

I am reading as fast as I can, but the pesky house work keeps getting in the way. Laundry needs to be done, dishes need to be washed, toilets have to be scrubbed. My boyos need attention too. I simply cannot sit and read as much as I would like to, so stop giving me paper cuts every time I pull you out when we're in a book store.

I appreciate the way you keep all of my to read books in order. All sixty seven of them are listed with the author's name and release date in an orderly fashion. I would never be able to remember all of them without you.

Lovingly yours,
Jennie