Jenn Musing Finale

Well, bloggy friends, it's been real. It's been fun. And it's been real fun. But I think I've known for a while my heart wasn't in this blog anymore. My heart really isn't into writing young adult fiction anymore. I haven't even read a YA book since....well I can't even remember when.

I think I'll get back into writing at some point, but my heart is for my children right now who both have special needs and need a lot of extra time, appointments, and love. And so, that means it's time to stop blogging here at Jenn Musing. I've got a new blog over at www.embracing.life, so please do consider checking it out, where I'll be blogging about faith, special needs parenting, and praying Scripture.

Whether I know you in real life, or only in the blogosphere, I have truly appreciated you following me here. Thank you for the friendships, the conversations, the encouragement.  I'll still be on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  I'll still be blogging, but about my faith and writing and special needs parenting. Gotta blog what you know, you know? Gotta blog what you love, right bloggy friends?

Hope we still get to stay in touch!
Jenn

Summer in a Nut Shell

Hello bloggy friends!  Sorry I've been a little MIA, just got back from a trip to DC for the kiddo's week long speech camp.  It was a great, but exhausting week, and I'm so proud of E for working so hard to learn new words and learning how to put them into phrases.  Here's the kiddo after his graduation where he received a medal for all his hard work, with his speech therapist and the creator of the camp, Jodi Kumar.

Before that, I was participating in Camp NaNoWriMo.  This is the summertime version of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where you can set your own writing count goals for the month of July.  I wrote a whole 5,746 words before camp.  Didn't have time to write during camp and haven't hit my writing groove yet, so I don't think I'll make the minimum goal of 10,000 words, but it's all good.  I knew realistically I couldn't make 10,000 words and was shooting for between 5-7,000 words.  I'm 5,746 words closer than I was, and I still have a few days to go... :)


Anyway, for my writerly bloggy friends, I wanted to make sure you are informed about WriteOnCon.  It's an awesome online conference for writers that'll take place August 13-14.  Check it out. :)


Oh, and anyone else excited about seeing Catching Fire?  The trailer is pretty awesome!!

So, how's your summer going?

Spiritual Victory

The last couple of years, rather than making a list of New Years Resolutions I know I won’t be able to keep longer than a week or so, I instead seek God about a word, or theme He wants me to focus on for that year. The first year I did this the word He gave me was ‘intentional’. I learned more about what it meant to be an intentional wife, mother, woman of God, housewife, etc. But for the last three years in a row, when I seek God about my word for the year, it’s always the same.

‘Victory’.

Victory.  Noun. 1: the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist 2: achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties
 -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Goodness that Starts with B

Birthday Goodness:

E just turned three and we celebrated with my parents and sister with Thomas the Train inspired goodies. It was so much fun! He loved blowing out the candles, eating his cake with a spoon and his ice cream with a fork (simultaneously), opening his presents, and playing with his Thomas balloons and party hat.  Little A had fun with the party hats and balloons too!

Blogging Goodness:

I spent about two hours finally getting around to what I've been wanting to do with the blog since March.  Check out the side bar and the first person to comment with the difference wins one of these virtual cupcakes, in honor of the b-day festitivies.  Don't worry, this kind won't go straight to your thighs. ;)

Bible Study Goodness:

I have officially put my YA manuscript aside for a while.  It needs a lot more revision which I don't have time for right now.  But I can't put my writing completely aside: I'm writing a Bible study on spiritual victory that I'm very excited about.  Whenever I put it aside for too long, I run across someone else in my life that tells me something they're struggling with.  They have no idea I'm writing a Bible study that addresses the very theme they're sharing with me, and it reminds me this is a message that needs to be written.  So, I'm currently working on it once or twice a week and loving every minute of it.

Life is good.  Busy, stressful at times, but oh so very good.

Frappuccino Cupcakes and Taking a Writing Break

Image from  food.allwomenstalk.com

Frappuccino Cupcakes: Taking a Writing Break

I love frappes.  Starbucks frappuccinos are no exception.  I go to Starbucks and get a frappe while I read my Bible or write, or revise, or blog.  Or I meet a friend at Starbucks and while we catch up on life I sip on my frappe.  Or when I've feeling stressed, I may stop by a Starbucks and pick up a frappe.  So, I was beyond excited to come across these adorable cupcakes.  They make me want to just sit back, relax, and savor life.

Those cupcakes look awesome!  And writing breaks can be too.  I have to admit, I'm on a major writing hiatus.  There are times I miss writing.  There are times I feel guilty I'm not writing.  But I've learned there are three reasons to take a break from writing, guilt-free.  

Three Reasons to Take A Break From Writing:

1) To let your writing breathe.

Put your manuscript away for at least a month, and then approach it again with fresh eyes.  When you work on it every single day you lose your objectivity along with your love for the story.  By putting the story aside, you'll come up with new ideas, and when you dig it out again you'll see new things, especially plot holes, and have a renewed desire to spiff up your manuscript and make it much stronger than had you kept plodding along.  Let your story relax.

2) To let yourself breathe.

Whether it's taking a day off from writing each week, or enjoying some time off after completing a manuscript, or whatever works for you, everyone needs a break to recharge.  And oftentimes, it's when we're not working on our stories, that's when the ideas come.  I can't tell you the number of times I've had ideas for my manuscripts while in the shower, driving, or on a walk.  Breaks are good and necessary for everyone.  Go read a good book, watch your favorite TV show, go on vacation, have a family game night, the sky is the limit.  You don't have to write every day.  Life is busy enough.  Let yourself relax. 

3) To pursue another project.

Whether it's another hobby, furthering your education, having a baby, etc, there are other things in life that are important to us and have every right to take a front seat for a while.  This is what I'm experiencing right now: putting my family first.  My children need me right now, and I don't want to miss out on time with them because my writing is competing with them.  There will come a day when they are more independent and that will be my opportunity to pick up my writing again.  Until then, I'm going to cherish time with my little blessings.  And when I have time, write a blog post or two.  Don't feel guilty about life getting in the way of your writing.  Relax and savor life.

Whatever reason you take a break from writing, know that in the long run, it'll give you fresh inspiration and energy when it does come time to dust off that manuscript.  Let go of the guilt, relax, and savor life.

Apraxia Awareness Day

My son loves trains!

Occasionally I mention in my posts that my oldest son has difficulty speaking and that he speaks mainly through sign language.  It's not something I talk about a lot here simply because the point of this blog was to focus on the things I enjoy: writing, reading, blogging, etc, and to connect with people online with similar interests.  But, as today is the first annual Apraxia Awareness Day, I figured why not share with you what it is my son and my entire family struggle with each day.  

My son has apraxia.  Here are a few facts about it, taken from apraxiadventures.com:

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder.  Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. 

CAS is a low incidence disorder.  Best estimates suggest that about 1 in 1000 children (0.1%) of children are affected by CAS.

A child with CAS may also present with other motor planning deficits.  Oral apraxia indicates that a person has difficulty with volitional control of non-speech movement; ie, sticking out the tongue, puckering, smiling, blowing, licking. Limb apraxia refers to motor planning deficits relating to arms, legs, fingers, etc.  (It is suspected that my son has verbal, oral and limb apraxia and therefore goes to speech, physical and occupational therapy). 

Appropriate speech therapy for CAS is three times per week for 30-minute individual sessions.  As children improve and develop speech motor control over volitional utterances, frequency can be reduced accordingly, as long as they maintain and generalize improvements. 

Although appropriate treatment is intensive and takes place over a number of years, children with CAS are capable of making many gains and many are capable of developing intelligible speech.  Some children may have some minor differences in their speech, their intonation may not be perfect, or others may perceive some sort of accent. However, most children will speak in a way that others understand.

Hope you learned something today!  If you are interested in knowing more about my son's journey, our struggles and victories as he learns to speak, please check out my other blog: http://sweetapplesofgold.blogspot.com/

Happy Speech and Hearing Awareness Month!

The "E" Word

Americans everywhere are sharing their views on the marriage equality issue and rightly so.  It's an issue where peoples' beliefs, emotions, and lives are involved. But what I find interesting is that while many Americans are clamoring for equal rights, there's one issue that seems to not receive as much outcry.  I doubt many people even know about this, which I found posted on Fox News:

"The war on Easter has begun! The principal of Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Alabama has banned the use of the word Easter in the school saying that it infringes on the rights of students."

You can read the full article here.

Am I only one who finds this a complete violation of equal rights?  Here was my immediate response:  "Uh, if she doesn't want me using the "E" word, I'll just go back to calling it Resurrection Sunday like the early church called it before eggs and bunnies and candy somehow got involved.  See how she feels about that."  

Definitely not a very loving response, but don't we all have the right to tell people what religious holiday we happen to celebrate?

What are your thoughts?

Strengths and Weaknesses

A friend of mine sent me this video to encourage me.  As I've mentioned a few times before, my oldest son (who is almost three) struggles with speech.  It's an area that will be difficult for him for quite some time, and so in the meantime, we are working on teaching him sign language.  He picks up on new signs so quickly!  Before I had no idea what went on in that little head of his, but every day I'm getting a glimpse of the things he thinks about and notices, and it's awesome.

Anyway, this video really did inspire me and I hope you watch it and find inspiration as well.  When my son gets older I will definitely share it with him and hopefully it will encourage and inspire him as well. 

What a beautiful reminder that we all have weaknesses and areas where we struggle, but we also have strengths, areas where we can bless others with our gifts and talents!  

Some people have indicated they couldn't play the video.  If that's you, then here's the link to the video on youtube:       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLdg9FMp7f8

Randomness About Me

My blogging buddy Catherine A Winn awarded me with the Liebster Award.  Thanks Catherine!  I am supposed to answer the following questions she posed to me about writing and then write 11 random facts about myself.  So if you want to know more about me, then keep reading, 'cuz without any further ado, here we go!...

1. What is the working title of your WIP?
Right State of Mind

2. What is the genre?
YA sci-fi.

3. When did you first want to be a writer?
I think around high school when I wrote a short story that my teacher LOVED and made me read to the class. I was embarrassed about that, but pleased that so many people liked it.

4. When did you take writing seriously?
Around the time I finished graduate school. I was teaching middle school English which inspired my first manuscript and my current WIP.

 
5. Describe your writing room/area or upload a picture.

Oh, a writing area sounds divine!  Right now, it's wherever I can go that's quiet or can snatch a few minutes to write or blog: Starbucks, dining room table, the couch, family office, and most recently the car.  (Weird I know, but if both kiddos are asleep after we've driven home from an appointment or a playdate or wherever I'll get my laptop and write in the passenger seat until at least one of them wakes up).

6. What writers influenced your writing?

Oh my goodness, there's so many!  Shakespeare, Francine Rivers, Susan May Warren, Lisa Samson, Renee Swope, Melanie Dickerson, Louis Sachar, Lois Lowry, Suzanne Collins, Brian Selznick, J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Laurie Halse Anderson.....

7. Are you published? If so share with us.

Uh, I wrote three articles while in high school for the area newspaper as part of an internship thing I did for one of my classes.  I have the articles somewhere...  ;)

8. Do you work in a variety of genres or just one?

Two: I write both YA sci-fi and also Christian non-fiction.  They may seem like a contradiction but I like it, since they allow me to stretch as a writer as I pursue both genres and passions.

9. If you could be mentored by one successful writer, who would that be?

Tough question.  I think I'd go with Susan May Warren, since she's written both adult and YA fiction and also non-fiction and she seems like such a friendly, down-to-earth lady.

10. Who is your favorite author?

I don't think I could choose one from that long list in number 6.

11. Which book do you remember reacting emotionally to as a child?

I remember LOVING Holes by Louis Sachar in middle school.  I remember thinking it was so awesome how everything fit together in the end and I would love to be able to write something that cool someday.  I think I read it like three times in a row and told all my friends they had to read it.  

And even though the movie came out while I was in college, I had my parents go with me to watch it because I wanted them to enjoy it and I was so sad that my mom fell asleep during the movie.  And I bought it the day it hit the stores.  On VHS.  :)

11 Random Facts About Me:

1) I only write with black pens.  When I was a teacher I corrected all papers with green pens, since black didn't work so well, and I'm totally against using red.

2) I went to kindergarten in England, elementary and middle school in the States, and high school in Japan.  Loved that my dad's job gave me the ability to see the world.

3) My oldest son communicates mostly in sign language due to a speech disorder, and so we're learning new signs every day.  It's been fun learning a new language. :)

4) I have random hiccups.  As in, I'll have one loud hiccup, then about 20-30 minutes later another one.

5) I love cupcakes.  Don't know what it is about them, but just seeing a cupcake makes me happy.

6) If I'm writing, I like to have a frappe to help me along.  Either a Java Chip from Starbucks, or I make my own and experiment with different flavors. (Thanks Mom and Dad for the frappe maker!)

7) My favorite movie is Dead Poets Society. That movie is what inspired me to become a teacher.

8) The hubster is the first and only guy I ever dated.  I was 21 when we started dating.  He's still my Prince Charming.

9) I read about 3-5 books at a time.  All different genres/topics. 

10) I worked at a movie theater for 5 years while I was in high school and college.  I made, bagged, swept up, dreamt about, smelled of, and am no longer a fan of popcorn.

11) Each year I have 3-4 TV shows I can't miss: sometimes they carry over from the year before, sometimes it's a new show I've become addicted to.  This year it's Bones, Castle, Big Bang Theory and Parenthood.

Thanks for sticking around, hopefully you learned a few new things about me. :)

Sleep, Writing, and Living Intentionally (oh my!)

Whoever coined the phrase "sleeping like a baby" probably didn't have a baby.  Or at least, they didn't have mine.  This precious little guy is awesome during the day: content, smiley, drooly, adorable.  But he's the lightest sleeper ever.  And he wakes between 3-4 times every single night to eat.  This kid LOVES to eat.

So while I used to use nap time as my writing time, if the kiddos' naps ever overlap (about a once a week phenomenon), I get in on the snooze fest.

And honestly, I'm not that upset or frustrated by this lack of writing arrangement.  I'm choosing to spend more time with my kiddos during the day and more time with the hubster in the evenings.  And if I happen to get some writing in on the weekend, or while the hubster is at Bible study, well then, life is grand.

And I know that when the kiddos are older and more independent, there will be plenty of time for writing.  But for now, I'm spending lots of one-on-one time with E, I'm savoring the grins and coos and spit-bubble blowing of A, I'm snuggling and laughing with my sweetie, and spending more time reading my Bible.  Yep, life is pretty grand.

What's going on in your life?

Crazy 2012, Great 2013

My goal in 2012 was to send out query letters seeking representation for my YA manuscript.  And of course, that meant that by December of 2012 I'd have an agent in love with my manuscript and begging me to give them the honor and privilege of representing my book. ;)

But honestly the road to rejection representation has been rocky. I didn't send out as many letters as I wanted.  I had lots of life obstacles pop up: an appendectomy, being put on limited bed rest while pregnant, adjusting to a new baby, moving to a new state, plus the general busyness of life.

My 2012 Querying Stats:
Queries sent: 20
Rejections: 18
Requests for full: 2
Rejections of full: 2

Writing contests entered: 5
Writing contests won: 0

Yep.  Lots of discouragement and life stresses that prevented me from writing and seeking publication and blogging as much as I wanted.

But, some great things happened.  I could have lost the baby when I had my appendix removed, but baby is currently five months old and contently rolling all over the floor while blowing bubbles and babbling.  Hubster and I are much stronger as a couple, and stronger in our faith after weathering the storms that came our way.  And despite all those writerly rejections, the fact that 2 out of 20 agents were interested gives me a glimmer of hope that the story itself is an intriguing concept.  The story just needs improvement.  Luckily, those two agents gave me some helpful feedback, so my plan is to revise (yet again!), rewrite my query letter, and try again.

Also, I plan on writing a Bible study.  So incredibly different from the YA fiction I've been writing for years, but I must say that God taught me so much through the past year and I am eager to share it with others.  Plus, it has been great to try writing in a different format and genre. :)

And, because my life is finally settling down, I do plan on blogging a little more.  Yippeee!!

After the crazy 2012 we have had, I'm looking forward to great things in 2013!

Bloggy buddies, thanks for sticking with me during the past crazy year!  And now, I want to know, what great things do you have planned for this year? 

Resolved to be Greater

Wow, I haven't blogged since last year.  ;)

Anyway, it's a new year, and that means it's time to make new resolutions.  Each year I pick a word to help me focus on my goals/resolutions for the year.  2012 my word was Victory, as I was seeking victory in three areas of my life and reading a lot of books that dealt with the issues I was struggling with.  In 2013, my theme will be Greater.  I think it's totally doable, as "greater" means striving for more greatness, not necessarily perfection, which is unattainable, or "good enough" which is living in mediocrity.  Greater.  My inspiration for this theme is the book Greater by Steven Furtick.  

Anyway, here are the areas I am resolved to strive to be "greater" in:

1. A Greater Mom: I want to be more purposeful with my kiddos.  Spend more quality time with them.  Take them to the park and library more.  Teach them.  Laugh and smile with them.  Enjoy the moments, rather than dwelling on what else I "should" be doing.  Because those things aren't as important as my little guys. 
2. A Greater Wife: I want to be more supportive and encouraging.  I've realized lately how the majority of our conversation is about the kids or things we need to do around the house or figuring out what we're going to do for dinner.  While those things are good, we haven't been talking about deeper issues.  We don't talk about how things are going at work for him, or areas he would like me to pray for him.  I want to do that.  I want to be more of an encouraging wife, a better friend, not just the one who helps him by taking care of the house and the kids.
3. A Greater Writer:  I want to take time every week to write.  I plan on doing that by watching a little less TV and using that time to read or write instead.  Totally doable.  :)

Do you make resolutions?  If so, feel like sharing yours?

Oh, and Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!

Both of my kiddos on their very first Christmas. :)

The kiddos, ready for Santa. :)

Hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Blessed

I haven't had much time to read or write or blog.

I haven't had a good night's sleep in months.

But these little guys are so worth it. 

I am blessed.

And I want to enjoy every moment I can with these little blessings.

He's here! And it's here! Whoo hoo!

HE'S HERE!!

Baby boy number two made his grand entrance into the world on August 8th, weighing a whopping 10 lb, 2 oz.  Which means I have lots of cheeks to kiss and lots of baby to feed.  Big brother loves giving him kisses and patting him gently, then running off to play or get into trouble.  Big brother (previously nicknamed My Lil Monkey on the blog) will from now on be know on the blogosphere simply as E, and this little/big guy will be called A.  So yeah, you probably STILL won't see a lot of posts from me, until we settle into more of a routine, but I wanted to let my blog friends know the exciting news.  :)

IT'S HERE!!


And just a quick shout out to my writer friends, if you don't know about WriteOnCon, you are totally missing out!  If you do know about it, I appreciate you taking time to read this post when you could be learning all kinds of awesome things at this A-MA-ZING online writing conference for those who write picture books, middle grade or YA.  Oh, and did I mention it's completely FREE?!?  Unless you want to make a donation to the awesomeness, of course.  How cool to get to go to a writing conference with a newborn napping on my lap? :)  And one cool thing (among it's many cool features) is if you miss a session, you can still find it later on.   So I'll probably be viewing a few sessions every day for the next couple days/weeks.  So basically, a month long conference for me!

Any one else gonna be participating in WriteOnCon?  Hope to see you there!

Challenges: Good and Bad

We all face them.  Challenges in our life, challenges we put upon ourselves.  Good challenges and bad challenges, but all which make us a little bit stronger, more of the people we're supposed to be.  I'll share a few of my challenges with you:

First of all, a challenge put in my life that I had no control over, nor a desire for:

1) A health challenge:

Last Wednesday I woke up with a dull pain in my abdomen.  I'll admit, I thought it was just constipation.  It's a normal part of being pregnant, I've discovered lately.  But as the day progressed the pain got worse, got sharper, and I was vomiting.  I called my ob, worried it was related to the baby.  She said to get yourself to an ER.  So I called the hubster at work, who called my awesome sis-in-law to watch our son, and then hubster and I rushed to the ER.  They couldn't give me anything for the pain until they figured out what was wrong.  Hours later, I got my diagnosis: Appendicitis.  Though there was risk to the baby to be under anesthesia, and since the uterus is so close to the appendix we were told there was a possibility we could lose the baby, the appendix had to come out before it burst and a burst appendix would definitely lead to us losing the baby.  The nurses gave me something for the pain, and hubster and I prayed together before I was whisked off to surgery.

To make a long story short, baby is just fine and I'm feeling much better.  So many of our friends from church have brought by meals and we have just felt so very blessed.  Hubster and I really believe God was looking out for me and baby. :)  The road to recovery was extremely painful the first few days, since being pregnant I can't take certain painkillers, but I am truly feeling so much better every day.  I really am feeling blessed, despite needing surgery while pregnant, and feeling so loved by my hubster, family and friends who have been so supportive.  And it's been a wonderful reminder to not take my health for granted.  Some people (even some I know and love) live in chronic pain every day, and I only experienced it for a few days and am ready to be done with it.



Next, two challenges I am putting upon myself.  Feel free to join me!

2) Better my blog challenge


I've decided to challenge myself to better my blog, and what better way than the Bloggiesta?  Here's what it's all about:


"Do you have things you'd like to do on your blog that you haven't managed to get to in forever? Do you want to do those things with lots of other bloggers from all over? Talk things over with them? Bounce ideas off them? Learn from them? Teach them too?  If so, you will not want to miss the latest installment of Bloggiesta! "


If you're interested in joining me in this challenge, it takes place the weekend of March 30th-April 1st and you can sign up here.


And finally...


3)  Get my work out there challenge


In a previous post I mentioned that I had finished my manuscript.  Whoo hoo!  That means, it's time to do something with it, besides just let beta readers read it.  I've been working on that fantabulous query letter with the goal of beginning the query process in the next few weeks.  Best way to keep me motivated to do so?  Gabi's DIY MFA Sub2Pub Challenge!  Here's what it's all about:


"The idea is simple.  If you commit to submitting a piece for publication and you persist for one year, the chances are fairly good that you’ll eventually get it placed somewhere.  The goal is to keep submitting the piece until either the end of the 2012 or until you get a YES, whichever comes first. Even if you can’t find a good home for your work within one year, you’ll probably get some good feedback on it and can revise or re-purpose it accordingly.  And if you don’t get any comments on the work, that’s valuable feedback as well.  It means you can give your piece a dignified burial in the file drawer, liberating you to move on to a new writing project."

If interested, check it out here! 

Anyone else experienced any challenges lately?  Or entering any of these challenges?  Or others?