Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Buon Natale!

So, I'm feeling pretty good about Christmas this year. I'm finally done with all of my shopping after a last minute trip to the mall yesterday that ended with Mia and I taking an uneventful ride down the escalator while Jack screamed hysterically at the top by himself, too scared to step on. I mistakenly assumed that at four-and-a-half-years-old and with numerous practice trips up and down escalators across the greater Cleveland area under his belt that he'd be ready to ride down without a death grip on my hand. I was wrong. Thankfully one of my fellow shoppers (obviously a super mom in disguise) scooped his 53 pound butt up and carried him down to safety. Merry Christmas Super Mom, here's five Percocets for your trouble. Trust me, you'll need it after hauling Jack down a flight of moving stairs.

Anyways, now all I've got left to do is wrap presents and wait for the inevitable Christmas plague to manifest. You know, the one that leaves your kids glassy eyed and infected just moments before you leave for church on Christmas Eve. Can't. Wait.

But tonight everyone is in bed and I've taken the night off which translates into me watching my favorite Christmas movie of all time, Love Actually, and eating caramel Hershey Kisses. I'm sure you remember why we're all out of Twizzlers.

In just under 48 hours my children will be completely delirious from lack of sleep and over-stimulation, and I'll most likely be administering twice daily doses of Ammoxacillin while threatening to take all their presents back. But until then, I've got this to get me through:

And yes, it's in Italian. (For the record, at the end he says: Enough. Enough now.) I couldn't find an English version that would allow embedding, so...Buon Natale dear friends. And remember, it's not Christmas unless you're half-wishing some adorable guy would come to your door with poster sized flash cards to save you from eating yet another tub of candy cane ice cream. XOXO

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Ghost of Christmas Past

In honor of the impending holidays I'm reposting one of our favorite Christmas posts from last December. And by "our" I mean, me, Laura and my mom because we were the only three people reading this blog at the time. Sad, but true.

***

So, those of you who know me, know that my dear husband has a horrible track record when it comes to giving gifts. His heart is always in the right place and he really does try to pick out things he thinks I'll like, but it's inevitably all wrong.

Here's a little Christmas gift timeline for you.

1995 - This is the first Christmas we were dating and I was 16-years-old. I got a HUGE bottle of Eternity perfume and a plaid Gap button down. Size Men's Large. Yeah, just for the record, I'm 5'3. The sad reality is that this actually one of his better Christmas gifts. I actually liked the perfume and let's face it, the grunge look was totally in, so a ginourmous shirt wasn't that horrible. Although I think I might actually have returned it. It was THAT big.

1996 - An opal ring. At the time I totally loved this gift. Opal was my birthstone and it was heart shaped with some itty-bitty diamonds on the side. In my 17-year-old mind it was the epitome of style and class. Unfortunately my tastes have evolved over the years and I just had my mom liquidate the thing at one of those gold parties where they pay you for your old gold jewelry. Yeah, I'm not exactly the sentimental type and I made $189! Of course that included the opal earrings he got me too. And the heinous heart shaped diamond necklace. In my defense, I saved the bracelet, ok?

1997 - Now this is the year things really started to go downhill. I'll never forget Ken coming over on Christmas morning with a huge garment bag with the words "Petite Sophisticate" emblazoned across it. I remember thinking, well at least he's realized I'm a small person. That's got to be a good sign.

And then I opened it.

"It" was a pair of brown corduroy pants, completely tapered at the ankle, yet loose through the hips and thighs. I think they used to call this a relaxed fit back in the day. They looked a little bit like textured, brown, Hammer pants and they were practically guaranteed to add about 20 pounds.

Sexy!

There was also a matching corduroy, brown blazer that hit at about mid-thigh, last seen in the closets of substitute teachers across the country. To top off this dung-colored ensemble, he had purchased an over-sized brown, striped, button down shirt and a pair of matching brown socks.

After Ken left I tried the whole outfit on for the fam and Laura and Stacey almost peed their pants.

1998 - 2005 - These years are all sort of a blur. I think there was a cashmere sweater somewhere in there that I actually liked. Oh and who could forget the cooking lessons! That was the first year we were married. Nothing says Merry Christmas (now get your ass in the kitchen and make me some meatloaf) like cooking lessons.

2005 - This was Jack's first Christmas, my first official Christmas as a mom. And what do I find under the tree? A Victoria's Secret, hot pink, velour sweat suit with the word "Sexy" emblazoned across the butt in rhinestones. Can't you just picture me showing up at playgroup in that get-up? Hilarious. TGFGR. (Thank God For Gift Receipts)

2006 - A cashmere poncho. Fuschia. Returned at Nordstrom's the very next day.

2007 - Umm..can't remember. But I'm sure I returned it. He got me a barn jacket that I've since seen Laura's MIL banging around in for my 30th birthday, so that should give you an indication of what his gift must have been like. Not. Good.

2008 - TBD. I can't wait to see what he comes up with this year. If I was picking out my own gift there would be one of these or maybe these and if I was really lucky one of THESE underneath my Christmas Tree. But I know Ken, and I'm not holding my breath.

The truth is holidays are actually more fun this way. I never know what I'm going to unwrap Christmas morning, and you know what? That's just the way I like it.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Otto Grows Down


I love to read. I've always loved to read. For me, there was always something magical about words printed on a page. Reading was a like a secret I couldn't wait to figure out.

Every single day I try to figure out a way to instill my love of words into Jack and Mia. We read together a lot and as a result we have hundreds of picture books. Some of them are great...some are not. Most of them don't have a lot going on in the plot department. I love Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? as much as the next mom, but I know them by heart and occasionally they make me want to gouge my eyes out.

Lucky for me, a friend gave us a copy of Otto Grows Down by Michael Sussman, a story about a 6-year-old boy who wishes his new baby sister Anna had never been born. The good news is that his wish comes true, the bad news is that the his days suddenly start moving in reverse.

When we all sat down to read it together for the first time I was surprised to catch myself rushing through the book so I could find out what happens next. Newsflash: This is a picture book with a plot! I honestly had no idea how Sussman was going to resolve Otto's predicament.

Jack and Mia enjoyed the book as much as I did. Mia insists on reading it every single night and she gives Otto and Anna a kiss before she goes to bed. Girl after my own heart.

Jack is a tougher sell in general when it comes to books. He's known to get fidgety and one time when we were reading Green Eggs and Ham he kept putting his feet in my face. I never thought I'd have to say the words, "Do not make me use this copy of Green Eggs and Ham to remove your left foot from my cheek because I assure you it won't be pleasant for you or your toes." They just don't teach you this stuff in those dumb birthing classes.

Anyways, Jack fell in love with Otto. I think he could relate to him wanting to get rid of his sister and he was fascinated by him getting younger and time going backwards. The morning after we read it for the first time I caught him trying to read it to himself. He was very engaged in this book and it has lead me to think more carefully about the books we read together. I think he's definitely ready for books with a little more substance.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with young children, particularly those of you expecting a new brother or sister or those of you with a pair of siblings who don't always get along well.

In fact, we liked this book so much that we'd love to share it with one of our lucky readers! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment in this post with the title of your favorite picture book. We'll leave the comments open for the week and will announce our winner on Monday December 28th. Good luck!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Remembering...

This day will always bring sadness.

Every year.

Every Christmas.

But it's getting a little easier to look back on all the good times.

We'll never forget.

We'll never be the same.

We will always remember.

For the record, I totally blame you for Jack's attitude problem.

When he gets arrested for public indecency (because let's face it, it's really only a matter of time) I know you'll be laughing your ass off.

I miss you, Mike.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Lisa Roecker and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Let me preface this by saying there were a lot of events leading up to this day. First off, my friend and I took our sons to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox the night before. In retrospect it probably would have been a good idea to do some research around the plot and to consider going to an earlier showing.

Here's a transcript from my hilarious friend recapping the evening for you. Keep in mind that her husband was already semi-annoyed that she chose to keep Jack's bestie out this late "on a school night."

Dad: How was the movie?
Jack's bestie: Good.
Dad: What movie was it?
Jack's bestie: Don't know.
Dad: Well, what was the movie about?
Jack's bestie: Don't know. Ask Mom.
Dad: You don't remember anything about the movie? What was one thing you remember about the movie?

*dramatic pause*

Jack's bestie: There was this really good part where the farmers got their shooters and started shooting at a tree and the foxes. There were lots of guns and it was really scary and they were really bad men.

*dramatic pause*

Dad: Great.

Fast forward to the next morning.

8:00 AM - Jack drags himself out of bed. Gets very excited to learn that he can wear his pajamas to school for the big Snow Day Party. He refuses to go to the bathroom, but I decide to call it even since I don't have to force him out of his pajamas and into his school clothes.

8:51 AM - Drop kids off at school and find out that several parents sent in their money for the class gift a day late which leaves me about two hours to buy additional gifts for the teachers. Being the room mom really is a bitch.

9:05 AM - Arrive at mall to purchase gifts for teachers only to find out the mall doesn't open until 10 AM.


Stacey: (sounding hoarse and groggy) Hello?
Lisa: Hey. How long does it take you to make stationary?
Stacey: (sounding suspicious) Why?
Lisa: Just wondering...
Stacey: I can make it quickly. When do you need it?
Lisa: In an hour.
Stacey: *coughs*
Lisa: Did I wake you up?
Stacey: I was just taking a little nap.
Lisa: Crap.

9:30 AM: Arrive back home to place PayPal order for the stationary to make sure Stacey actually accepts payment. She's notoriously bad at cashing my checks.

9:39 AM: Check Jack's class list to see who paid for the gifts and who didn't. Realize that I gave Stacey an incorrect spelling for one of the teacher's names. Swear profusely and call Stacey immediately.

Lisa: Have you already printed Mrs. D's cards?
Stacey: Yeah....
Lisa: $%^&
Stacey: What?
Lisa: I spelled her $%&^*(& name wrong.
Stacey: %$#&
Lisa: I know. Just forget it.
Stacey: No way, I'll print new ones.
Lisa: I love you.

9:55 AM - Leave my house, double check the door is locked and head to my car. Reach into my pocket for my keys only to find they're not there. %$#&. Check under the door mat for spare key, not there. %$#@.

9:56 AM - Cry a little.

9:57 AM - Grab the Little Tykes slide from the garage and drag it around the perimeter of my house trying to break in through one of our windows only to find they're all locked.

10:05 AM - Notice that I can't feel my hands anymore.

10:06 AM - Find Jack's Lightning McQueen gloves in the trunk and stuff my hands into them.

10:07 AM - Begin trying all the windows again. One last try before I call Stacey and beg her to drive me to Jack's school. The grip on the McQueen gloves gives me just enough leverage to pop open one of my family room windows.

10:08 AM - Marvel at how easy it is to break into my house.

10:09 AM - Try to squeeze past Christmas tree in my huge down coat.

10:10 AM - Fail. The entire Christmas tree comes crashing down.

10:11 AM - Cry a little.

10:20 AM - Cards have been picked up and I'm off to Jack's school.

Editorial note: Loyal readers will remember that there is a bat shit crazy woman in Jack's preschool class who insisted that all of the food at the school party be made of fruit and air. Just a quick reminder as she proved to be yet another leading factor in Lisa's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day.

10:46 AM - Arrive in Jack's classroom and witness bat shit crazy mom flipping out at one of the other parents for bringing cupcakes.

10:47 AM - Hear bat shit crazy mom telling another parent about her son's clown phobia. She just wanted to verify that no one was planning on hiring a clown for the end of the school party in JUNE. JUNE!

10:48 AM - Bite my tongue so hard that I taste blood.

10:49 AM - Help the children make Marshmallow Snowmen.

10:50 AM - Stress eat a Twizzler.

10:55 AM - Try to assist the kids in getting their snowmen into little personalized bags to take home. As I'm helping Jack he bites the head off his snowman and laughs at me.

10:56 AM - Practice yoga breathing.

10:57 AM - Stress eat another Twizzler.

11:09 AM - Treats have been distributed and Jack eats them all within seconds and wants more. I quietly tell him that he's had enough and he screams "This is the worst party ever!" and throws his juice box across the room.

11:10 AM - Do the walk of shame across the room to pick up the juice box and practice my yoga breathing.

11:11 AM - Stress eat another Twizzler.

11:12 AM - Teacher asks me if I'll be taking Jack home after the party and I smile brightly and say "Oh no, he has extended day today. Remember?"

11:13 AM - Teacher cries a little.

11:30 AM - Call my husband to inform him that I'll be enrolling his son in military school and he reminds me that it was my decision to keep him out until 9:30 PM the night before.

11:31 AM - Cry a little.

11:32 AM - Stress eat all of the remaining Twizzlers.

11:34 AM - Call the aforementioned hilarious friend to relay the events of the party, specifically the new information about the clown phobia. Hilarious friend claims she's going to start doing carpool dressed as a clown.

11:35 AM - Come dangerously close to peeing my pants.

11:47 AM - Back home. Assess damage to our Christmas tree.

11:48 AM - Cry a little.

11:49 AM - Remind myself that at least I'll get a decent blog post out of this.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a fabulous weekend!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Author Branding by Daisy Whitney, New Media Queen

We'd like to welcome Daisy Whitney to LiLa Land as our very first guest blogger!

*Insert applause here*

By day, Daisy Whitney is a producer, on-air correspondent, podcaster and raconteur in the new media business. At night, she writes novels for teens and is the author of The Mockingbirds, to be published by Little, Brown in Fall 2010.
***

Elaine Benes' Words of Wisdom -- Be Interesting. (And then leave a trail of Google Crumbs behind you)

Online branding and marketing for authors is a lot like that "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book. Here's why -- each and every thing you do online leads to something, then another thing, then something else. And in the end, all your actions and activity online can lead back to you and to sales of your book.

That's why I believe authors can and should cultivate their own personal brands. And in our ever-fragmenting Internet age, the tools to do so are free and at anyone's disposal.

I'm writing this post because in addition to being a teen lit author -- my novel THE MOCKINGBIRDS releases from Little Brown in November 2010 -- I am also a reporter, podcaster and producer covering new media, online trends and marketing. That translates loosely into "knows enough about marketing to be dangerous."

From where I sit online marketing goes back to what Elaine Benes proclaimed in an episode of Seinfeld while struggling with a bout of writer's block. Her conclusion? Make it interesting. Because, as she said, "People like interesting writing."

Branding then at its core is simple. Be interesting. Be compelling. Be you. That means on your web site have a blog and maintain it. Blog daily or several times a week. Link your blog to your Facebook page and your GoodReads page. Make sure the blog is more than what you ate for breakfast. But if the blog is what you ate for breakfast, then make me laugh or make me cry or make me cringe when you tell your breakfast story.

Make sure the blog fits you. What do you stand for? What is your personal brand? When I think of an author like Kay Cassidy, who's involved with the Living Your Five blog, I immediately identify Kay as someone who is warm, giving and who gives back. That is what Kay stands for -- positivity, energy, grace. She maintains that identity on her blog, on her site, and in her tweets. Take young adult author Courtney Summers. She has crafted her own brand and her brand is her. She hates werewolves, loves Lady Gaga and constantly breaks up and makes up with her manuscripts. She is funny as hell and she makes me laugh with the rhythm of her words and the way she uses ALL CAPS and italics. Lisa and Laura too are developing their own brand with irreverence, self-deprecating humor and the ease with which they can work references to Spanx and Uggs in their blog entries.

But building the brand isn't enough. You have to seed it. You have to be found. You have to leave a trail of Google crumbs behind you. And that, my friends, is where the work comes in. It's not enough to just blog or tweet or have a Facebook page. You need to go out and get known. You need to visit the blogs and sites that matter and READ what they say. Leave reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. While on blogs, comment on their entries. And not spammy comments! But ones that matter. You don't have to write essays, but show you care. Many bloggers click through to their commenters and visit their sites too. Meaning they return to YOU. Blogs also are visited regularly by Google's spiders, which is another good reason to blog and to visit blogs. Then you should build out your own Google profile. Because you want to be found. You want to be reachable.

By doing this, you are leaving a trail of bread crumbs on the Internet. And those bread crumbs are a path back to you. And once people find you on YOUR site, make sure you give them a reason to stay. By giving them a reason to stay, they might -- just might -- buy your book. And tell a friend. And another friend. And five more...

To learn more about Daisy Whitney and her New Media empire check out her website, blog and follow her on Twitter.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It's not you, it's me...

Are you sitting down?

Good.

We need to talk, StatCounter.

It's over. For real this time.

I know you've heard it all before, but I'm finally at a point in my life where I just don't have time to obsess over how many times random high school frienemies are looking at our blog on a day-to-day basis. [Note to random high school frienemies: GET A LIFE.]

It's time for us to start seeing other people.

The truth is, I've already got a new boyfriend, Command + R. He refreshes my e-mail with just the click of the button. Well, two buttons if you want to get all technical on me.

I'm sorry, what's that? You think I'm getting a little loose with my interweb dalliances?

Well, you should also know that I have a rather torrid affair going on with my Blackberry. He's got this little red light that blinks when I have a new e-mail and a Twitter app that's absolutely divine. He makes me feel things I've never thought were possible...

Oh, er, sorry, got a little distracted there for a minute.

Anyways, I just can't be tied down like this anymore, StatCounter. I hope we can still be friends.

P.S.
If you're interested I'll totally hook you up with my friend Sarah. Something tells me you two would totally hit it off...

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tell the Truth Tuesday

1. I've stopped wearing my pink Uggs, but I'm still sort of mad at the world. Or more specifically...Crap, never mind. I'm still on the freaking high road. I will get over this eventually, won't I? Turns out I suck at being the bigger person. I guess that's sort of obvious though.

2. I'm in the middle of a war between parents in my son's preschool classroom about cookies. Ah, the glamourous life of a room mom. It's probably inappropriate for me to tell the crazy woman who wants the entire holiday party to be gluten free, egg free, and dairy free to go screw herself, right? Right.

3. I'm going to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox tonight. And I'm way more excited about it then my son.

4. I still haven't seen any of the Twilight movies. I'm waiting until they come out on HBO so I can watch them with a huge tub of ice cream and snarf at the sparkles in the privacy of my own home. Is that so wrong?

5. I'm thisclose to being done with my Christmas shopping. But I, um, never actually made a list so I'm only 90% sure that I'm almost done. This just reeks of disaster, doesn't it?

6. I still regularly get lost in Cleveland. My sense of direction is that bad. It probably doesn't help that I'm incapable of reading a map. I have to pretend that I'm Joey in that episode of Friends when they're in London for Ross' wedding and he has to make himself a tiny little person inside the map so he can navigate the city. And yes, in case you're wondering, I know how pathetic that sounds.

7. Speaking of Friends, are you watching Cougar Town? I am. (Shocking, I know.) It's actually pretty entertaining. Not as funny as Modern Family, but hilarious in its own rite. Plus Noel Crane just did a guest spot last week and totally reminded me of why I was on Team Noel in the first place. Bliss.

8. I really wanted to get to 10 things, but I want to finish When You Reach Me more....So, you tell me: What's your truth this Tuesday?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Cocktail Conversation


It's that time of year. Holiday parties abound and if you're anything like me you're pouring yourself into a brand new pair of Spanx (For those of you who are still ignorant about the miracle that is Spanx you need to check them out. They will change your life. Seriously.), slipping into a hot dress and getting ready to make awkward conversation for hours at a time.

This past Saturday it was my husband's work party and I was doing my best to pretend to be a normal wife. You know the kind of woman who discusses preschools and playdates rather than blogs and bad reality television.

And then it happened.

Someone brought up The Jersey Shore. Just like that my cover was blown.

I spent the rest of my night discussing The Situation (yes, there is a character on the show named The Situation because of the situation with his abdominal muscles. You just can't make this shit up.) and his anger over Sammi Sweetheart's hook-up with Ronnie.

I think my husband's colleagues were most impressed when I was able to quote J-Woww from memory:

“I left the club early because I didn’t want to cheat on my boyfriend. And I felt like eating ham and drinking water. Ham.”

Who needs obscure Shakespeare quotes for cocktail party conversation when you have J. Woww's words seared into your brain? Not me.

Guess there's something to be said for letting it all hang out. And I mean that figuratively, not literally. I wear the Spanx for a reason.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Happy Agent Day!

So when we got wind that the fantabulous Kody Keplinger was organizing something called Agent Appreciation Day, we knew we were in. Not only do we love our agent, but you just don't argue with the 18-year-old genius who wrote The Duff.

So, Catherine Drayton, how do we love thee? Let us count three ways (she'll be happy we're keeping it to three; she appreciates brevity...):

1. Catherine uses words like "wet" when describing our titles. Yeah, we know it's not a compliment, but it's kind of hilarious, not to mention honest. Catherine is tough and fun, which is a pretty fabulous combination.
2. Catherine has a knack for making the submissions process a whole lot easier on authors.
3. Before we even knew that Agent Appreciation Day existed, she was #3 on our Top 10 Things We're Thankful for This Year List.

Catherine has been an unbelievable advocate for us and we'll never be able to thank her enough for helping us make our dreams come true.

And we're not the only authors who are having an agent love fest today. Check out this amazing list of authors who are appreciating their agents today:

Finally, some Tenners will be posting their appreciation here, enjoy!

Total writer porn, right? We'll be adding more links as the day goes on so be sure to check back. Happy Agent Day everyone!