Running For My Life

Remember two weeks ago when I was like, "Will I finish draft 2 of my never-ending work-in-progress while my kids are at their Grandma's for a week? Will I? WILL I?"

Well. I didn't finish. But I've got wings on my heels, yo, and lately I've been looking like these guys (especially the really intense ones):



So. Close. To. Done.

(and seriously ready to begin draft 3!)

Hope you're having a great week so far, folks!

xoxo,

In Which I Say, "YAY for ME!" and then Leave for Vacation

You Deserve a Rip Roaring Fiesta 5 x 7 doodle print

by Aimee of Artsyville

The time has come for me to throw a handful of biodegradable confetti up in the air and shout "YAY! I HIT THE 2/3rds MARK ON MY 2nd DRAFT!"

Why would Marisa be doing that? some of you may be asking yourselves.

Well, I'll tell ya - BECAUSE I HIT THE 2/3rds MARK ON MY 2nd DRAFT!

*throws confetti*

Okay, when it comes to successes worth celebrating, the 2/3rds mark on the second draft (and I'm pretty sure I have a minimum of 3 more drafts when this is done before my never-ending beast of a book is query-ready) might not seem like a celebration-worthy milestone. But you guys, I'm a really slow writer. And as it turns out, a really, really, disgustingly slooooow editor. It certainly doesn't help that I've been stuck editing the same two chapters for the last 2.5 months. But those pages that were the bane of my existence on paper (but so good in my head!) are done! And better than when they were in my head. SO I'M CELEBRATING, BABY!

*throws more confetti*

This book is seriously taking it's toll on my sanity - just this morning I found myself standing in the kitchen, looking at the microwave, thinking, "Wait - did I really just shut a wet dish towel in the microwave for no reason and start to walk away?"

Yes, yes I did.

But I'm going out of town this weekend with my BFF - who I have been friends with since we looked like THIS:

(Sorry Jenni, I totally had to post that again. Bwah-hah-hahahaaaa)

and I am SO ready to put this editing hoopla out of my head for a couple days and relax with our families. And when I get back, my mom is taking the girls for an ENTIRE WEEK. Life is truly wonderful!

Which brings me to the questions that are on everyone's mind (well, on MY mind, at least):

Will Marisa Hopkins rise to the challenge and finish her entire 2nd draft while her kids are at their grandmother's house for a week? Will she be temporarily DONE with the beast that is her free-time's #1 life-suck? Will she finally be able to work on her other WIP, which has been whispering sweet nothings into Marisa's ear since the last NaNoWriMo?

dun-dun-dunnnnn.....

Tune in, in a week and a half, for the pleasant - or unpleasant - reveal!

Enjoy the rest of your week, folks!

xoxo,

The Good Old Days

Gracie's a nostalgic l'il thing, often talking of 'the good old days' - before she started school, when her days were with me and Annelie and Will, who often worked in the evenings so he was home with us during the day.

For months Gracie's been talking about how excited she is for summer vacation so things can be as they were before. She definitely takes after her dad and me - we're always talking about our dating days, and the days when the girls were babies and toddlers.

And looking through old family photos, with Beirut's Postcards From Italy playing in the background to add to the nostalgic mood, is always favorite past time. (Love, love this song and video)

Well, it's summer vacation now, and yesterday was a beautiful day by West Texas's standards - only in the 90's - so Will and I decided a nature hike with the girls would be just the thing to add to the memory collection.

We had a fun day - and wouldn't you know it, when we got home Gracie gave me a huge hug and announced that her days were finally just like the good old days again.

Well, Gracie, you're in luck - Summer vacation is three LOOOOONG months, though I'm hoping by the end of it, you'll be desperate for the good old days of school to start.

I know I will!

But in the meantime, it's awesome having more adventures to look fondly back at!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Asleep

Let me just say, going 6 months without picking up a colored pencil is a CRIME. I didn't even know how much I missed the suckers until last weekend when I picked them up to work on a project for my friend's dissertation (which I shall share another day). Seriously, heaven. I love my pencils.

When I saw this week's prompt for Illustration Friday, I knew sweet Consuelo needed a colored illustration, not just the occasional sketch here and there.

Raise your hand if you can guess my inspiration picture for this one?

The fair Consuelo,
dreaming of her sand and sea-glass cottage by the sea.

By the way, I want to live in this cottage.

I have a companion piece that is going on my drawing board someday. Hopefully sooner than later. I don't want to go 6 months without picking up a pencil again!

Happy Tuesday, folks!

xoxo,

Make a Board Game and Clean This Mess!

My kids figured out long, long ago that there are approximately ten thousand and five better things to do than clean. Which means when it's cleaning time, I get nothing but resistance. Parents out there - unless your kids are on the OCD side of cleaning, I'm sure you're in the same boat - especially if you are a creative-type with little creative-types running around your ankles.

When it comes to my kiddos' creativity and the materials it takes to create, I don't limit - they've always had free reign of the art supplies. They love it and make the most amazing things - bird beak masks, wings, paper dolls, doll houses, they write and illustrate books, snip paper like it's going outta style... and they make the BIGGEST MESSES. Bigger than mine! When it's time to clean up, I get so much resistance that simple pick-up-your-stuff requests turn into fights with time outs and me putting them on art probation. I hate that.

And then there's the whole clean-your-room business. Oh man.

Well, something needed to change, so, inspired by the book Time Management For the Creative Person, by Lee Silber, who gives ideas for turning boring to-do lists into more creative ways of accomplishing the necessary items in life, I got the idea to make a board game for the girls - heck, the whole family - and now we have CLEAN THIS MESS.

A mess-cleaning board game that is colorful like Candy Land and a silly-fun way to get things done. With a winner's circle - definitely a goal my kids want to reach - and fast!

MAKING THE GAME:

Materials -

• Sturdy cardboard about the size of a Candy Land board (shape doesn't matter!)
• Colored card stock for squares and game piece backings
• Double stick tape
• Clear contact paper
• Optional magazine cut-outs

I figured that for my kiddos (ages 4 and 6), 12 tasks were about the limit they could take in one clean session, so I have 12 squares on my board. Because of my board size, I made my squares 1.5 inches then arranged them in a wiggly shaped path to the winners circle. Around the path, I taped the magazine cut outs.

When all items were loosely taped down, I covered the board, front and back, with clear contact paper.

MAKING THE GAME PIECES:

• Snap a couple full body digital photos.
• Print them out (ours are 4-5 inches)
• Cut them out
• Tape them to colored card stock
• Cover them in clear contact paper - front and back
• Cut them out again, this time with a base for the feet

MAKING THE GAME PIECE STANDS:

Cut thin strips of card stock like so:

Give them two little snips - then connect the slits so that you have a little hoop stand.

Make two snips in the base of the person game piece and stick it on the stand. Admire your merry band of cleaning warriors.

(I was being fierce - dust bunnies, BEWARE!)

MAKING THE GAME CARDS:

I made a stack of cards that can be reused. When we played, it was a Clean Your Room game, so my cards had tasks like:

• Pick up all blue toys and put them in the toy box
• Put all My Little Ponies on the shelf
• Gather all dirty clothes and put in laundry room
• Throw away ten pieces of garbage

Mixed with funny cards:

• Dance while cleaning for one whole song
• Clean for two minutes while holding a book on your head
• Pick up ten pink things and put them away while hopping on one foot

Mixed with non-cleaning cards (everyone needs a break!):

• Make up and sing a silly song
• Recite the Preamble to the Constitution
• Spin around in a circle while counting to 20
• Brush your teeth

Definitely write cards to suit your needs - you will need enough cards for each person to have a card for each space on the board.

When making the cards, fill them with the necessary items on your to-do list, only make them even shorter tasks than you'd ordinarily give your kids. You can do this by having them do tasks by color or limit the number of items they'll pick up per card. I had three garbage picking up cards - one for throwing away 10 items, one for throwing away 6 items while wearing a princess dress backwards, one for throwing away 8 items while singing the alphabet. MAKE IT EASY AND FUN and most of all, NOT OVERWHELMING. Give them the ability to move their game pieces quickly from one square to the next in order to keep the interest level up!

ADAPT THE GAME TO SUIT OLDER KIDS by giving them cards that allow them to steal the space of other players, or force them to lose a turn by taking a break while the other people work. Build on my game idea to suit your own needs!

AND THAT IS ALL

My kids played yesterday and Gracie's insanely messy room was cleaned up in an organized manner in only 15 minutes.

YOU GUYS! It usually takes about two hours - kicking and screaming included - to accomplish the same amount of cleaning.

I am a happy mama once again.

If you want to make CLEAN THIS MESS, too, and have questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

Have a great weekend, folks!

xoxo,

Fare-thee-well, Kindergarten

I'm in constant disbelief that my kids are growing up - Gracie's last day of kindergarten is today and I SWEAR it was only 6 minutes ago that I was wiping off her strawberry cream cheese mustache before taking her to school on her very first day.

(my ickle baby)

She's grown three shoe sizes. She's grown two clothes sizes. She's moved past the days of knowing only the alphabet and is full on reading.

And writing!

(Her journal from September 21st - the G represents Goldilocks)

Her journal from May 16th - about her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun b-day party
"I got to do wat I wonid to do"

(I'm seeing NYT bestselling memoir writer in her future)

(perhaps the James Frey kind...
about 90% of her journal was made up)

(all grow'd up!)

This past weekend Gracie said, "I'm glad it's summer. It will be like the old days again."

She often talks about how much she misses "the old days." (I do, too, little duckling - you grow way too fast).

So, in honor of the good ol' days, we're prepping our summer for the HOPKINS FAMILY (virtual) WORLD VACATION (inspired by Michelle at Michelle's Charm World) in which we spend the summer traveling the world through music, food, art and science projects.

Annelie begged to make a working replica of Mt. Vesuvius - why does this not surprise me? - and Gracie begged to make a paper mache globe. I see a messy future for us all.

I know a bunch of my mama blogger pals are saying fare-thee-well to their kindergartners and welcoming home their brand new first graders today. Congrats to you on surviving this first school year! And good luck to you, as well - three months of summer vacation! I'm already wondering how I'm going to cope...

xoxo,

Outta the Mouths of Babes: The Harmonica Edition

Just an average conversation with my four year old...

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: So can I?

ME: Can you what?

ANNELIE: I just told you. Let me do it again. [plays a little tune on her harmonica] There.

ME: What was that?

ANNELIE: I wanted something to eat.

ME: Sure. What do you want.

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: That's what I want.

ME: I have no idea what you're asking for.

ANNELIE: Listen carefully. [plays a little tune on her harmonica] Can I have one?

ME: Annelie. I don't speak harmonica. Please tell me.

ANNELIE [impatiently]: Oh Mom, just listen. This is what I want. [plays a little tune on her harmonica]

ME: Do you want a banana?

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: That means no.

ME: Do you want a sandwich.

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: That means yes. I want this kind. [plays a little tune on her harmonica] Got it?

ME [ready to grab harmonica and chuck it out the window]: If you don't tell me now, I'm not making anything at all.

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: That means I want a peanut butter and frosting sandwich.

ME: Nope, not an option.

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: That means I want a peanut butter and honey sandwich.

ME: That I can make.

ANNELIE [plays a little tune on her harmonica]: Do you know what that means?

ME: Please?

ANNELIE: No [plays a little tune on her harmonica] that one means please. This one [plays a little tune on her harmonica] means thank you.

*eyes twitching*

At least she's polite....

xoxo,