Anything for Material: This Writer's Life

Emma, 3, has a great saying when she wants to be p...

2012-05-28T11:22:46.040-04:00

Emma, 3, has a great saying when she wants to be picked up. She says, "I want my heart to be close to yours." I know I am a sucker, but it works every time. Soon she will be too big to pick up.

You make simple very precious carol

2012-05-20T14:41:36.884-04:00

You make simple very precious carol

Your words are beautiful and a great reminder to e...

2012-05-19T13:32:15.166-04:00

Your words are beautiful and a great reminder to enjoy the moment.Thanks for sharing.

Oh my goodness, Chris. You're saying the peer ...

2012-05-11T08:20:39.352-04:00

Oh my goodness, Chris. You're saying the peer pressure gets worse? I better bone up on not caring what people think between now and kindergarten :)

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Julie

We become mothers with not much of a guidebook. I...

2012-05-11T06:10:36.828-04:00

We become mothers with not much of a guidebook. It's natural to look at what others are doing. You're still in the wonder years where you can do whatever. The peer pressure comes when he's on the school circuit.

I'm looking forward to Mother's Day with my son and mom. He's cooking for me and my mom.

Treasure these moments: you are Daniel's best girl. Happy first Mothers Day.

Daniel J, Annie, I love the prompt commenting. Tha...

2012-05-10T15:29:11.301-04:00

Daniel J, Annie, I love the prompt commenting. Thanks for your support of my low key plans :)

Jules

Pizza and Pearls go great together! Go ahead with...

2012-05-10T15:18:32.273-04:00

Pizza and Pearls go great together! Go ahead with your bad self!

Pizza and Cake!!!! Sign me up. Happy Mothers Day ...

2012-05-10T15:15:58.315-04:00

Pizza and Cake!!!!

Sign me up. Happy Mothers Day Jules. Hopefully your amazing son and husband have some nice surprises up their sleeves.

Love,
Daniel J Ackerman

love Mama's advice... "If your standards ...

2012-04-27T06:55:47.349-04:00

love Mama's advice...
"If your standards are low enough you can have fun anywhere."

Sounds espléndido! Keep soaking it up :)

2012-04-26T07:33:20.273-04:00

Sounds espléndido! Keep soaking it up :)

Carol, great reminder. I can't wait to see wha...

2012-04-22T18:21:00.708-04:00

Carol, great reminder. I can't wait to see what shows up in my writing from Peru :)

This morning, rewriting a scene where I needed to ...

2012-04-22T17:13:47.878-04:00

This morning, rewriting a scene where I needed to describe an elaborate mansion, i envisioned that beach house with the windows that shimmered like bubbles that we passed on our walk on Stone Harbor beach. I did not know that day We walked that i was storing details for a scene but that is part of writing.
Yes a writer needs to get words on the page. The days you do not you just might be recharging your writing batteries to fuel the next scene

You are so right, Carol. Claire is infinitely wise...

2012-04-20T21:27:23.923-04:00

You are so right, Carol. Claire is infinitely wiser than the critic.

I love that your inner critic is a guy. Listen to ...

2012-04-20T18:38:25.611-04:00

I love that your inner critic is a guy.
Listen to Claire. She sounds wiser than inner critic guy.

Julie: As a Colleen myself, I too regret the ster...

2012-03-18T09:05:00.203-04:00

Julie: As a Colleen myself, I too regret the stereotypical display of the Irish. Not like people I know and love. Your post reminded me of this poem I read yesterday on the NPR site:

Drowning the Shamrock

by FRANK DELANEY

"Hail glorious Saint Patrick dear saint of our isle
On us thy poor children look down with a smile —"
But I'm not singing hymns and I'm not saying prayers
No, I'm gritting my teeth as I walk down the stairs
And into the street with these louts fiercely drinking
And screeching and lurching, and here's what I'm thinking —
They're using a stereotype, a narrow example,
A fraction, not even a marketing sample
To imitate Ireland, from which they don't come!
So unless that's just stupid, unless it's plain dumb,
All these kids from New Jersey and the five boroughs
And hundreds of cities, all drowning their sorrows,
With bottles and glasses and heads getting broken
(Believe me, just ask the mayor of Hoboken)
All that mindlessness, shouting and getting plain stocious —
That isn't Irish, that's simply atrocious.
I've another word too for it, this one's more stinging
I call it "racism." See, just 'cause you're singing
Some drunken old ballad on Saint Patrick's Day
Does that make you Irish? Oh, no — no way.
Nor does a tee-shirt that asks you to kiss them —
If they never come back I surely won't miss them
Or their beer cans and badges and wild maudlin bawling
And hammered and out of it, bodies all sprawling.

They're not of Joyce or of Yeats, Wilde, or Shaw.
How many Nobel Laureates does Dublin have? Four!
Think of this as you wince through Saint Patrick's guano —
Not every Italian is Tony Soprano.

"But knowing that I don't have to wait fo...

2012-02-14T17:39:16.606-05:00

"But knowing that I don't have to wait for him to do it is liberating. I can love myself."

Amen to that.

Julie, this post resonates with me. I often "...

2012-02-09T06:38:45.521-05:00

Julie, this post resonates with me. I often "trick" myself into starting something using the "just do this one little thing trick" Amazing how often it helps overcome the inertia or fear or resistance and I get pulled in

Jennifer, I love the simple idea of slowing down a...

2012-01-18T15:03:20.455-05:00

Jennifer, I love the simple idea of slowing down and doing less. I can always use that reminder. And thanks, Carol, for the FUN index card idea. Maybe mine should say NOW.

great ideas Julie. A simple tool I love is to writ...

2012-01-04T06:37:59.374-05:00

great ideas Julie. A simple tool I love is to write my area of focus on an index card or sticky note...and then look at it 10 or 20 times a day. For instance, instaed of a lofty goal, you write the word, FUN. Looking at the card raises awareness and helps you change or attract that in your life

For the past few years, my only resolution has bee...

2012-01-02T17:06:57.741-05:00

For the past few years, my only resolution has been to slow down, do less, not try to do everything all the time. :-)

Great post,Julie! I hope more pèople bring their b...

2012-01-02T12:19:33.457-05:00

Great post,Julie! I hope more pèople bring their babies to Mexico! And pleae, come visit again soon!

Thanks, Carol. Just for today is a great reminder ...

2011-12-24T07:39:27.597-05:00

Thanks, Carol. Just for today is a great reminder too. Hope you're feeling merry today :)

love “We come to Christmas as we are.” your idea ...

2011-12-24T07:18:58.561-05:00

love “We come to Christmas as we are.”
your idea to be grateful for the little things, reminds me of the slogan "just for today"
When pressured to be or feel a certain way "forever" it can overwhelm me, but giving myself permission to be/feel something just for today (or sometimes for one minute or one hour) is often doable.

Good for you! Everyone needs a break--and probably...

2011-11-11T16:28:14.646-05:00

Good for you! Everyone needs a break--and probably new parents, especially so.

Michelle, thanks for the - ahem - warning. Miss y...

2011-11-11T13:21:52.119-05:00

Michelle, thanks for the - ahem - warning.

Miss you!