tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110526742009-12-04T19:32:16.961-06:00Mental wanderings, life with kiddos, writing news ... or what I would be mumbling about in those letters home if people still sent snail mail.Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.comBlogger931125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-61425465646416640062009-12-04T08:55:00.003-06:002009-12-04T09:09:05.155-06:00

I was talking with the kids the other day and it occurred to me that they are at the exact ages my siblings were at the year I was born. My brothers were 9 and 11. My sister turned 13 that year.Now, as the story has always been told to me (though my parents' versions are slightly different), I was not a "whoops" baby. I was the only kid planned, according to my father. I was just a long time in

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-35875840798531845822009-11-28T18:22:00.002-06:002009-11-28T18:46:06.653-06:00

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-82595630269395927512009-11-21T22:09:00.007-06:002009-11-21T23:16:29.182-06:00

Middle Munchkin asks, "Why is it time passes so quickly on the days you are having a great time, and so slowly on the days you wish would pass quickly?"I guess my life is filled with great times these days. I can't even seem to keep up with which day it is, except by number due to my daily logging of NaNo words. Day 21 and--if nothing else--I've proven to myself that I can make the time to do the

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-24732964298947780872009-11-17T06:53:00.004-06:002009-11-17T06:57:30.134-06:00

At what age did I start to think that where I was going was more important than where I already was? When was it that I began to believe that the most important thing about what I was doing was getting it over with? Knowing how to live is not something we have to teach children. Knowing how to live is something we have to be careful not to take away from them.from No Impact Man, by Colin Beavan

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-30803770237159938372009-11-12T09:37:00.003-06:002009-11-12T09:41:59.673-06:00

(Those who were there are asked to remain silent until some other folk have had a chance to answer.)Question: Why did Munchkin Boy make a cake in the shape of a 74 for his 9th birthday?........Here's a hint.

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-42571077070148678422009-11-11T18:39:00.005-06:002009-11-11T19:24:08.518-06:00

So those who have followed my career path probably know that I have worked in all manner of writing/editing/print type environments for both work and pleasure. In the last 10 years (give or take a few), I have concentrated on a freelance path that has become gradually more focused over time. My current "elevator speech" involves a considerable amount of ghostwriting.Being a... ghost... has its

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-57307471553161611292009-11-08T10:09:00.003-06:002009-11-08T10:39:51.614-06:00

I'm listening to my children "negotiate" in the other room, forcing myself to remain seated and keep my input to myself. In general, they've always gotten along fairly well, but we go through these periods of time where it seems to take more work. They are adjusting to each other's growing selves and priorities. Little brother might not be as easily swayed as he once was. Little sister might be

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-87171147737348871532009-11-04T20:52:00.004-06:002009-11-04T21:06:51.860-06:00

It's a silly little thing, but I get a kick from entering my words each day and watching these little bars appear on my NaNoWriMo site. I am at 9,013 words as of day 4. My friend Cheryl and I have been sending daily check-ins. I think she's having as much fun as I am.Believe it or not, this is only my 2nd time doing NaNo. I think the last time I tried it was 2001, and I've pretty much spent the

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-5166303790597636742009-11-01T14:27:00.002-06:002009-11-01T14:51:17.826-06:00

You know about our ceiling... we are still looking up into the rafters, but we have a plan in place, and the plan is good. We know how we are going to go about insulating and putting the room back together. The electrician is going to start next week with lighting, a ceiling fan, and as a bonus, he will be taking care of some other electrical wants we've had on our list (with the ceiling open, it

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-30014362956541563222009-10-31T00:01:00.001-05:002009-10-31T00:01:00.493-05:00

Happy Halloween!We were having fun with shutter speeds the other day. I thought our ghostly apparitions would make a great holiday blog greeting.

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-70718938605977973692009-10-29T20:08:00.004-05:002009-10-30T16:26:00.875-05:00

We've been home for about two days now and the most frequently asked question around the house has been, "What day is it?"Monday? Friday? Thursday? Saturday?I can't seem to get myself oriented. Mostly... it just feels like a nap day.Today I made pie -- one pumpkin and one lemon-coconut. My wonderful daughter made the crusts. She makes such tasty pie crusts that pie is about the only dessert I'm

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-50650935958011275432009-10-25T05:00:00.001-05:002009-10-25T05:00:03.764-05:00

I took this at my sister's house a few weeks ago. Her house is full of green and color. She's got this greenhouse on the back that inspires me. Not to grow plants, but I always think it would be a cool place to curl up in a comfy chair and write.Maybe someday I'll give myself a writer's retreat week at my sister's house. Now there's an idea!

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-13126833226460854652009-10-23T13:00:00.002-05:002009-10-23T13:00:00.767-05:00

Both girls participated in the Make It With Wool competition this year. Middle Munchkin made these cute crop pants and jacket. Very cute! Miss Munchkin #1 wove a shawl with some of the yarn she has been spinning. Both outfits turned out beautiful. Miss Munchkin #1 will be showing her shawl at the state competition in Manhattan.

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-89167301544842293342009-10-23T08:46:00.002-05:002009-10-23T08:55:25.760-05:00

Actually, she turned 11 quite a while ago. I am at my "bad mom" best these days as I don't think I've even shared these photos with grandparents yet. We had to wait it out through some weather issues, but did finally find a nice day to get pictures of Middle Munchkin for her birthday. Actually, it started raining on us while we were out, but we got 'em taken.It's been cool the last few years

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-83965986481902188872009-10-22T21:31:00.002-05:002009-10-22T21:36:05.138-05:00

That was the question today.... and the answer is yes, you can fit a cat into a pumpkin. Is the cat happy about it? Not especially. Sooterkin was barely tolerant, but Nancy (the dog) was quite impressed. This is the latest we have ever started decorating for Halloween. Halloween for us is like Christmas for other folks. We usually pull out the giant house spider and start carving (or painting)

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-2793907900617436152009-10-21T20:45:00.002-05:002009-10-21T20:56:06.101-05:00

It's cool weather again, which means I have pulled out the sweatpants... even the turquoise and the purple sweatpants which make my hubbie cringe and look away. So this morning I pulled on the turquoise pants and my new day-glo yellow t-shirt from our recent Oztoberfest Bike Ride. The kids and I collected books for the library and I was all ready to head out the door when my oldest said, "Um...

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-91342598808526638612009-10-19T08:42:00.003-05:002009-10-19T09:47:35.139-05:00

Spent the weekend with some writerly folk, the Kansas Authors Club Annual Convention, and thought I'd take a moment to compile some of my thoughts and notes before diving into the items on my desk that need sorted and my house which needs cleaned.I think the most comforting words of the weekend came from Max McCoy, the keynote speaker and workshop presenter who comes from right here in Emporia,

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-61050106367348270212009-10-12T21:45:00.003-05:002009-10-12T21:52:24.476-05:00

Home again! Rolled into Kansas City on the train last night. I twisted the hubby's arm into picking us up there rather than riding back to Topeka. I figured we'd make it home by the time the train rolled to the next stop, and we did! As a bonus, the kids got to wander through Union Station and they declared it the most awesome train station ever... which it is. Huge, at least, compared to the

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-25024693614577523242009-10-09T19:15:00.005-05:002009-10-09T21:22:38.402-05:00

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. That's pretty much all it has done since we have been here. I don't usually mind the clouds and the rain, but the sky sure is looking awfully gray. And there's enough of a chill in the air that getting out is proving to be more difficult than usual.Today we decided to take the Illinois Scenic by-way, up and down the Illinois River... even though it was cold and gray.

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-86623783382575573742009-10-07T17:13:00.004-05:002009-10-07T17:33:41.661-05:00

How to spend the day on a train:Squirm and fidget, because you've never been able to successfully sleep on a train.Read an entire book.Scratch notes on a small notepad about the book.Play 6 games of Hangman and 8 games of tic-tac-toe.Listen to favorite songs M through Y on your MP3 player.Start reading another book.Appreciate son's post-it-note art (now stuck ALL over the train window) and the

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-39834380530972746732009-10-05T05:00:00.002-05:002009-10-05T05:00:02.313-05:00

Ceres, the goddess of grain, is above the window of the Old Dutch Mill in Wamego, Kansas. When I was a kid, this was a HUGE windmill... and it was wooden instead of stone... and you could go inside and watch the wheel turn as it ground the flour......which means I need to go back and talk to my dad about where we saw a huge wooden, working windmill because the mill in Wamego -- though

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-26074292923083672552009-10-04T09:05:00.002-05:002009-10-04T09:12:17.624-05:00

Yesterday, the hubby and I rode the "Toto Route" of the Yellow Brick Road Ride as part of Oztoberfest in Wamego, KS. It was a little chilly at the start, but overall a beautiful day to be enjoying the scenic countryside between Wamego and St. George Kansas.We did the 15 mile route this time. Next year I think we'll go for the 27 mile route. There are also 41 and 81 mile routes. Always something

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-44445472395922024462009-10-01T07:53:00.001-05:002009-10-01T07:55:30.454-05:00

Emporia is on Tom Brokaw's American Character. The focus is a bit sad, the last paper being printed on-site, but it's a nice piece.

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-21323185089558792892009-09-26T07:44:00.003-05:002009-09-26T07:54:02.055-05:00

So my daughter comes in this morning and says, "Are you taking us this morning?"And I say, "Sure. Yep."And she says, "Okay... well... we're all up and... you are ... you know, still in bed.""Well, yeah," I say, "But I'm awake in bed. It's not like I'm sleeping.""Uh huh," she says, with just a note of skepticism.By the time I am out of bed, all three kids are sitting at the kitchen table,

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11052674.post-15527280812490385152009-09-25T09:34:00.003-05:002009-09-25T09:43:00.300-05:00

Here's a message we all need to hear more of. This is not a message about raising kids, but a message about the value of play as a lifelong process. I am happy to say that I play more now than I did twenty years ago. I can probably pinpoint the time -- along about junior high -- that I got to "old" for play or starting thinking it was more important to apply myself "seriously" to the tasks in

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566716982333768811noreply@blogger.com0